Delivering One's Fate
by PiratePrincess29
Summary: 2 months after AWE. Jack writes to Lizzie, telling her of his upcoming visit so she prepares a letter for him to give to Will but when temptation to take a chance to change their relationship strikes, he changes the letter and it opens countless doors. JE
1. A Carefully Devised Plan

**A/N: I am SO SO SO sorry for the recent lack of updates, but, as you know, I am in Hawaii. If you want to know how that went, just ask! I don't want to waste your time if you don't want to know about it. lol All I will say is that it was **_**amazing**_** and I got LOTS of inspiration for my stories there. Here's a little treat for you all. Yes, another new story. Please R&R, and I hope you enjoy! **

**P.S. I missed all of you guys! And a huge THANK YOU to my beta Jack.Sparrow.1245 **

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

Chapter 1: A Carefully Devised Plan

Another piece of paper; ruined. Why couldn't she just get her thoughts down correctly, without problem?

Elizabeth sighed as she threw yet another half-written letter to Will across the room, unhappy with its contents. Having just recently received a letter from Jack, which said that he'd be visiting her very soon, she wanted to make sure that she had a little something for him to pass on to Will if he ran into him. The letter had to be perfect.

Only two months had gone by and yet she felt as though it had been two years. Two _eternities_. She was lonely, but she couldn't put that into the letter for it would only make Will sad and regret the fate with which they were both destined to have. The fate that they both made a promise to make sure was not intervened. How could she even _begin _to express the love she felt in her heart, the pain that taunted her every time she saw that damned chest, the sorrow as she went to lay down in bed every night and saw that the other side had not a wrinkle in sight?

She hated the lonesome life she was living and would be forced to live for the next nine years and ten months. She shook her head profusely.

_Why am I sulking? I should be grateful that Will is alive and that I'll see him in ten years. I should be a good wife and be faithful and wait right here. I have to wait. _Have_ to? No. I _want_ to wait. I _want_ to wait for Will. I want…_

Another ruined piece of paper. She had to get this right. What could she say? _Hi Will, how are you doing? I'll see you in nine years?_ No. Nothing seemed to suffice. She wanted to reassure Will that she was alright and that she was willing to wait for him. She wanted him to have a clear conscience, but nothing she thought up seemed to express what she felt. Determined, she grabbed her quill and the last piece of paper left. She could always go back to Shipwreck Cove and get some more, but it was of no use. If she couldn't do this now, she wouldn't be able to do it later.

_My Darling Will,_

_These past few months have been awful without you. I miss you more with each breath I take and I want you to know that I will wait for you. I shall keep your heart safe and I will not break the promises I have made to you and to us. You are my strength, my love, my rock. You are what keeps me going every day. I sleep and wake to the sound of your heartbeat. I wish I could be there to tell you all of this myself, but you know I cannot. Please, stay safe and do not worry about me. If you are reading this letter, then it is because Jack has delivered it to you. I truly believe that we will get through this and, if you can, write me back before he leaves so he can give it to me when he stops by again. I used to think it would be alright, but I miss you more than ever. The days that have passed feel like _years_. I still remember the last thing you said to me, and I'm keeping my eye on the horizon, Will. I love you. I'll be here when you return._

_All my love,_

_Elizabeth Turner _

She smiled, pleased with her final copy. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. After all, what does one write to someone they won't see for such a long time? If she were to put all of her feelings on paper, it would take hundreds of sheets of paper to do so. And unfortunately, not all of those sheets would be dedicated to Will.

She still felt so awful for all that had happened between Jack and herself. The whole killing ordeal still haunted her at night. She hated that he never officially forgave her, and it made her question whether or not she should have acted on those strange feelings that overcame her whenever she was in Jack's presence. It was too late for regrets, though. Her choices had been made and this time she hadn't make them alone. She made them with Will, and now? Now she had to own up to them.

Elizabeth neatly folded the letter, put it into a nice envelope, and gave it a kiss, thinking of the last kiss she shared with Will. She wondered if perhaps there was a way that they could be together. Maybe if Jack found the Fountain of Youth, she could go with Will to the other side and live with him there. Or maybe they would just have an infinite number of one days. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference at all. And after all, it was just nine more years. If she were faithful, which she had no doubts would be the case, then Will should be free from his terrible curse and they can live like they've always wanted to.

Hopefully, that is. There was always a chance that things would go awry and that Will would continue to be cursed forever. But she'd rather not think on that but more on the positive things in her life.

_Everything will be perfect_, she thought. _Just perfect._

* * *

In the meantime, Jack was sailing with all haste to Shipwreck Cove. He was a bit hesitant to see Elizabeth again, but he had promised Will that he would check up on her every so often. If only things had turned out differently. He reflected silently on what could have 

been. How Elizabeth- _Lizzie_ - would have been at his side right at that very moment, and how he'd be trailing kisses down her neck while whispering sweet nothings into her ear. How she'd wrap her arms around him and tell him she loved him, how he wouldn't be able to resist replying with the exact same phrase.

He sighed, then frowned suddenly, upset with himself for wallowing in his sorrow. It was over and done with. There was nothing he could do to change things. She had made her choice. True enough, that choice left her devoid of company for a decade, but it was her choice nonetheless. He knew she loved Will. He just didn't know how much and whether or not that love could be broken down, carried away by the wind were he to sweep her off her feet.

_I should just kidnap her._

_Is that what good men do?_

_She wouldn't be angry for long._

_No… but Will would._

_Who cares about bloody Will?_

_Elizabeth._

He couldn't believe it. He had lost an argument with himself. _Must be the locker._ He checked with Gibbs to see how long it would take the _Crystal Swan_, his latest commandeered ship, to reach the Cove.

To reach Lizzie.

* * *

_A few days later…_

The sun's rays were just over the horizon as Jack spotted an island in the distance. His heartbeat quickened as they got closer. Oh how he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, but she wasn't senseless and would have senselessly slapped him. So he decided that a simple hug would do. It took about an hour for the ship to finally reach the island and be docked. He stepped off, asking to go alone, then set off to find her.

It didn't take him long. The island was otherwise deserted if not for a little cottage at the top of a cliff. He smiled at the quaint little home and ran up to the door, holding his hand at shoulder height, debating whether he should knock or not. The decision was made for him when took a step backwards and tripped over a rock, causing a ruckus as well as Elizabeth to open the door and investigate its source. Their eyes locked for a moment and she gave a half smile, not sure if she was happy to see him or not. He smirked knowingly 

and pushed her aside, walking into her house as if he owned the place. She scowled at his nonchalance and closed the door.

"Nice place ye got here. Clean."

"Nice to see you, too, Jack."

"Isn't it always?" he chuckled.

Her smile grew. She liked seeing him this way. His usual quirky manner was once again present. He propped himself on her rather comfortable couch, watching as she sat down next to him.

"How've ye been, luv?" he asked, concern clear in his tired voice.

"How would one in my position be?"

"Lonely, I'd imagine."

"Very." She replied coldly.

"So why do ye stay?"

"You know." She sighed.

"I know. But… ye know you've always got a place on the… on me ship. It's not the same sailing without ye, Lizzie." He pleaded. _Persuaded._

"I miss the sea, too. But I can't leave. I couldn't let that happen to Will. I won't let it."

"Come on, luv. What do ye owe him?"

"He's my husband!" she shouted.

After a moment of thinking, he decided to try a new approach. "I'm not entirely sure he even loves you."

"What are you talking about?" asked Elizabeth after stiffening up.

"Dear William was in love with Elizabeth Swann, the governor's prim and proper daughter. He can't love Lizzie the pirate if he doesn't even know she exists. To him, you're still that governor's daughter. You're not a pirate to him, luv."

"If he doesn't love me then why did he propose? Why did he marry me?"

"I proposed too, if ye recall. T'was ye who declined me offer."

"You wouldn't have married me, not really."

"Good point, luv. I wouldn't. I _didn't_ marry you, therefore you _aren't_ married."

"I beg your pardon?" she stood up, staring him down indignantly.

"Well, seein as I'm the rightful captain of the _Pearl_ and I did not perform that marriage ceremony between you and Mr. Turner, it is indeed null. Void. _Invalid_. Therefore, you aren't married at all, my dear. In fact, it's quite the opposite." He also stood up, walking around her in a circle as he tried to explain his reasoning in a casual tone of voice.

"No… you're lying. Barbossa's a captain…"

"But not of the _Pearl, _which is where ye said yer vows, is it not?"

"We _are_ married."

"Alright then, luv. But I do ask ye this. Where be yer ring? And yer marriage papers?"

"There wasn't any time for that! You should know that of all people. You're the one who…" she trailed off, debating whether or not she should continue on and blame him for that dreadful occurrence. It wasn't really his fault, was it?

"Who what?" He asked dryly.

"You're the one who… killed Will!" _Stole my heart._

His expression turned grim. So she blamed him for Will's death? Lovely. Just lovely. He shouldn't have saved the whelp. _Now she hates ye, mate. And ye've got no one to blame but yerself._

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I…."

"Don't, Lizzie. Just… _don't_."

"But Jack… I know you saved him. And I should be grateful to you. I should be thanking you. I'm in your debt, but would you do something else for me first?"

"Depends, luv." He sighed. "What is it ye need?"

"Pass this on to Will, would you? If you see him, that is." Her voice shook, from emotion or nervousness he could not tell. He took the letter from her and looked at it for a moment before putting it into his coat pocket, smiling falsely.

"I'll be sure to, Lizzie-luv. After all, who am I to refuse a direct order from the Pirate King?"

She scoffed. "I'm no King, Jack. I'm not worthy of anything. I'm a lonely widow who lives on this island all by herself. No one would ever listen to me. And why should they? I'm not even…" she trailed off as Jack grabbed her roughly by the forearms and pushed her against the wall, eyeing her angrily.

"Don't ye _dare _say you're not worthy of anythin', Elizabeth. You're better than the stars, the sun, the moon, the sea. You're the Pirate King. You are Elizabeth Swann, Pirate Lord of Singapore, Captain of the _Empress_, and King of the Brethren Court. So don't say you aren't anything because you are, Lizzie. You're everythin'." He said in a low but stern tone of voice.

"Turner." She replied plainly.

"What?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I am Elizabeth Turner. You said…"

"That's what I meant, luv. Turner." _Bloody Turner._

He looked her in the eye and she caught his gaze, trying to take in the mystery that they held. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever and she grew frightened. She was frightened of how easily he was making her forget Will and the chest. What was the chest again? And what did a heart have to do with anything? She was scared. He had to go.

"I think it's best you leave, Jack." she said, her voice slightly faltering.

He was genuinely shocked by her coherent bluntness. "Aye, luv. I'll just be on me way, then." He started for the door but turned around. "Are ye sure you're alright? There's always a place for one more on my ship."

"I can't leave. You know that and I know that. Nothing you say or do can change my mind."

"Really, luv? Ye sure you want to be makin' that assumption?"

"I actually am."

"Your loss, luv." He said huskily as he approached her, a short distance between their lips, his eyes hungry with desire.

He leaned in and she closed her eyes, ready for him to kiss her, but she unnecessarily prepared for a kiss that did not occur. And how she wanted it to have occurred! She opened her eyes only when she heard a door slam and noticed that Jack had left, leaving her speechless and disappointed. She wanted to yell for him to come back, but to what point and purpose? Would she kiss him for purely selfish reasons? At least he had some common sense. He left before things went too far, got too out of control. And what frightened her the most was that she wasn't sure if she would have been smart enough to do the same.

She went to the cabinet in which she kept Will's heart and opened it, caressing the intricately designed locks on that black chest, apologizing for losing her will to be faithful, if only for a moment.

Jack cursed himself repeatedly for not acting like a pirate. Was he not notorious for taking what he wanted and giving nothing back? Why hadn't he kissed her? It would have been the smart thing to do. He boarded the _Crystal Swan_, recalling that he had forgotten to mention the ship's name to the person for which it was named. He should have kissed her. It may have been his last chance. Their last chance at… at what, he didn't know, but he knew that whatever it was, he blew it the moment he walked out. And he hated himself for it. _Bloody coward. _

He went straight to the Captain's quarters, not even bothering to talk to Gibbs about their next heading, just mumbling something about going anywhere else but here. He slammed the door and took off his coat and watched as an envelope fell from it. He eyed it curiously for a moment before realizing that it was Lizzie's… _Elizabeth's_ letter to Will. _Come on, Mate. She trusts you… And it's her own fault. She should know better. _

He picked it up and sat down at his desk, opening the envelope carefully so as not to rip it. He read it slowly and felt his blood boil with every word. He wasn't angry. Not at all. But he was upset, saddened that those words weren't meant for him. Unless… but no. It would be wrong. It would be the opposite of being a good man. It would be immoral and corrupt and absolutely wrong. But it felt so right… _Pirate._ He searched through his desk drawer for some paper and a quill, getting ready to give them the one last chance they needed: a chance in the first place.

_My Dearest Will,_

_The past two months have been awful without you, and I fear they won't get any better. I miss you less with each breath I take and I'm not sure that I'll be able to wait for you. I cannot bear to see your heart each day, and remember that you are gone, away from me for the next ten nine years. Everyday I'm afraid that I will not be able to keep the promises I made to you. I cannot stay on land, I cannot be caged up like some bird. I need to fly free, Will, to be the pirate I've become. I miss the spray of the sea on my face, the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair. I have the strength to let you go, Will, because that is what's good for me. All I've done is thought about you, and now I need to think about what is good for myself. I can no longer stand the beating of your heart, for it reminds me painfully of what I've lost. I cannot stay in an empty house when you are not there with me. Everyday I die a little more, stuck here. Do not worry about me, for I am sure that I will be happy, and maybe one day find someone who will actually be there for me and want me to be happy just as much as I want them to. If you'd really loved me, you would have let me go, and now I'm taking that step. I have to. I'm afraid I won't be here when you return, for I can no longer keep an eye on the horizon. No more waiting. I will miss you always, but I am sorry to say I cannot love you anymore._

_Love,_

_Elizabeth Swann_

He re-read the letter a few times, proud of his accomplishment. All that was left was to deliver the letter to Will and hope that he would buy it.

It would take some convincing but he was Captain Jack Sparrow. He could do anything. At least, that's what he hoped. This brilliant little plan could give him everything he'd always wanted. A fair chance at winning Elizabeth's heart. Now all that was left was to find William and deliver the letter. Find Will… deliver the letter. It was all so simple. Simple, and easy to remember. _Too simple_, he thought. Problems would likely arise, and complications would almost surely ensue, but he had faith in the higher forces of the world that once, just _once_, things would work out in his favor. No, he wasn't talking about finding a lost treasure or winning a battle, although it sort of was a battle. A battle of love, so to speak. Love? Could he even begin to try to decipher that emotion? Love? Did he feel it? Has he ever felt it? Yes. He felt it for two women in his life and only two. His mother, of course, whom he loved very much, and Elizabeth, whom he loves. _Loves?!_

_Since when do I love Elizabeth?!_

He was taken aback by this startling realization. He loved Elizabeth, and he would do anything to win her heart. Sometimes, breaking the rules of the game was the only way to go. He didn't _just _love her. He needed her in his life, at his side, in his arms. _And me bed_, he laughed to himself. But in all seriousness… he did love her. He was doing it all for her. He wouldn't sail all the way to World's End to find dear William, but simply wait for him to pop up and ask about Elizabeth, which shouldn't take very long. Before the sun set completely, he walked to the small window in his cabin and looked back to Lizzie's island_. _

_I'll be seein' ye again, Darlin'. Count on that._


	2. Rude Awakenings

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait but here's chapter 2! I hope you guys like it and please remember to leave a review. **

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

**And a HUGE thank you to my wonderful, brilliant, and talented beta- Jack.Sparrow.1245! What would I do without you?**

Chapter 2: Rude Awakenings

Elizabeth felt excited at the thought that she had seen a familiar face again. Granted, that face was not that of her husband, but it was still familiar nonetheless. Familiar and so very welcome to her eyes. She liked to think that she and Jack were friends. She held him dear in her heart and seeing him was always a pleasure.

_Why are you thinking about Jack? You should be thinking about your husband. Will… Will… Wi-Jack-ll…_

Oh, it was pointless to try and steer her thoughts away from the man who steered the _Black Pearl_. Completely hopeless. She did, however, manage to focus her thoughts on a certain letter that she had given to the aforementioned pirate, one that would soon reach her husband. She couldn't wait to see what Will would write back to her. Just the thought that she might read something that he wrote to her, after all this time of being away from him, made her heart flutter in anticipation. What she couldn't pinpoint, however, was whether that anticipation was a result of expecting the letter back or the person who would deliver that letter.

* * *

It didn't take very long for the _Flying Dutchman_ to cross paths with the _Pearl_. In fact, after just a few days of leaving Lizzie's humble island, Captain Turner had popped up from the depths of the ocean in his dreary ship looking for none other than Jack Sparrow.

Will had no hidden intentions, he simply wanted to ask if Jack could do him the favor of checking up on Elizabeth to see how she was doing, see if she needed him.

Little did he know, Jack had already done more than that.

* * *

Jack was in his cabin looking at a few maps, trying to find the best route to the Fountain of Youth when his first mate Gibbs walked in.

"There be a ship comin', Cap'n." he announced.

"Colors?" inquired Jack, his eyes never leaving the map he was studying.

"None." He grimaced. "We think it's the _Dutchman_." he said, bracing himself for what the Captain's reaction would be.

Jack stopped what he was doing and looked up at his first mate, a smile as wide as the horizon playing about his lips. "The _Dutchman_, ye say?"

"Aye, Cap'n."

"That's bloody fantastic." he said genuinely.

"Cap'n?" he asked, confused as to Jack's behavior.

"Our dear friend Miss Swann - that is, Mrs. _Turner _- gave me a letter to deliver to her brave, darling William. What… _fortuity _that he has decided to show up." he said, smirking.

In a matter of minutes, the _Flying Dutchman_ was anchored right next to the _Pearl. _Jack scanned the deck of the familiarly terrifying ship for its newly not-so-terrifying captain. Will spotted Jack and smiled, waving for him to come aboard.

_This should be interesting_, he thought to himself as he crossed the gangplank, fingering the letter just inside his coat pocket.

As he approached the young captain, Jack put on a ridiculously forced smile, the nature of which said captain failed to notice.

"Well, well. If it isn't Captain Turner. Tell me, mate, how's the afterlife been treating ye?" he asked in a playful tone.

"I've been well, Jack. And you? I see you got the _Pearl _back." he pointed out, looking at the ship which was bobbing on the waves.

Jack's face twisted into one of confusion. "How'd ye know I lost her?"

"News travels fast around here. Each person that dies has a story to tell," he looked down at the deck grimly, "but no one ever tells of my wife."

"Speaking of your bonnie lass…" He smiled, thinking of her golden wisps of hair and how he wanted to bury his nose in it to smell the sweet scent that was purely her. He wondered what it would smell like. Would it be like fresh roses or newly fallen rain? Perhaps sweet strawberries or the sea? Where was he? _Ah, yes._ "I've some news from her." he said, testing the waters to see just how interested Will was.

His face immediately brightened. "You've heard from Elizabeth?"

He simply nodded, producing the letter he had been so anxious to bring up.

"It's a letter." said Will blankly. "From Elizabeth?"

Jack rolled his eyes at the boy's stupidity. "Yes. From Elizabeth." he replied mockingly, handing it to him.

"How did you acquire this?" he asked, staring at the envelope in his hand intently.

"I paid her Royal Highness a visit."

Will looked at his friend in appreciation. "Thank you for checking up on her." Jack could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smile from the captain before him.

"How…how is she?"

"I didn't spend much time with her, actually." he lied. "But she seemed...alright."

"Alright as in 'good' or alright as in 'not so good'?" Will asked, unsure.

"Alright as in content. Neither depressed nor ecstatic. Can't expect much more from a woman abandoned on an island, now, can we?"

"I didn't abandon her." His gaze grew distant. "We made this decision together. It was a mutual agreement. I promised to return in ten years and she promised to be there."

Jack narrowed his eyes, waiting for him to open the letter and, after an immensely long moment of silence, he decided to voice his opinion.

"Aren't ye going to open it?"

"The letter?"

_Be patient, Jackie. He's just a whelp._ "Aye, the letter." he answered as calmly as possible.

"Yes," he sighed, "I suppose I should."

Jack watched in wonder as Will slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter. Before he even looked at the letter, the _Dutchman's_ captain admired Elizabeth's handwriting on the envelope, making him miss her even more. Jack was tired of waiting. He might as well sail to Tortuga and around all of Africa and then come back and dear William would most likely have not read the bloody letter yet. Yet, to Jack's great pleasure, Will unfolded the letter and began to read.

The boy's face smiled at the endearment with which she addressed him but soon enough, his face fell. It continued to fall as he read on, wondering what was going on and where he went wrong. By the time he finished the letter, his face was downright morbid. His demeanor was depressing. He was the incarnation of sadness.

He put the letter down. "I don't believe this."

"What is it, mate?" Jack asked.

"This letter…" _Oh, bugger._ "It's from Elizabeth?"

"Aye."

"Are you sure?" he asked sadly.

"It's from her, mate." he lied smoothly.

"I just can't believe this." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and dismay. "How could she do this to me?"

"What _exactly_ does the letter say?" he asked with perfectly feigned ignorance.

"See for yourself." he mumbled, giving the letter back to Jack.

Jack, who knew all too well of the letter's contents, pretended to read it carefully, his face growing slightly more aghast with each line.

"I assure ye, mate," he started, "I knew not of the vicious wording of that letter. Seems like our- that is, _your_- dear Elizabeth turned pirate after all."

"What are you even talking about?" Will winced. "Elizabeth is not a pirate." he said slowly, enunciating every syllable.

"On the contrary, mate." Jack smirked. "You see, Elizabeth is a lying, deceiving murderess. She's got quite a long list of victims there. In case ye haven't noticed, it always starts with a kiss." He paused and noticed with utter joy that Will's face began to pale. "She's got Sao Feng's, Norrington's and my blood on her pretty little hands. And yours, for that matter."

"That's enough, Jack. Elizabeth is a good person with a good heart. She didn't kill anybody."

"I'm somebody." he pointed out with childish impishness.

Will searched for an answer, for a way, any way to take the blame of all those deaths away from his wife. He did not want to believe that this was true. He couldn't let those thoughts take over his mind, because if they did it would eat him up inside until he was nothing but a shell with no heart (not that he had one, but he liked to think that he still had feelings).

"Yes, but she didn't kill you. Last time I checked, Elizabeth wasn't a sea monster."

"Might as well be." he muttered under his breath, smirking slightly.

"The Kraken killed you, Jack, the Company killed Sao Feng, and Davy Jones killed Norrington. He killed me, too." he said with conviction.

"In all actuality, mate, if your little lass hadn't gone over to brandish her sword with Jones in the first place, ye wouldn't have had to try and save her, which would have resulted in ye not being stabbed by old fish face himself, savvy?"

"She was trying to help…" he replied weakly.

Jack tried to make him hate Elizabeth but he only seemed to be hurt. This was hardly the reaction 

he wanted to elicit from Turner. He wanted him to despise Elizabeth with a passion because that was the only way to be sure that he would never interfere with her life ever again and he would be free to live it with her without worry. This, though, this just bloody ruined everything. Perhaps a new approach would be more effective?

"Well, what are ye going to do? She obviously doesn't want ye anymore."

"And since when have you cared what she wants?"

_Always_. "I don't. Personally, I find the whole situation amusing. When she gave me the letter, she seemed so eager for you to read it. Oh! And, I hate to tell ye this, but she did request a reply from ye. Lord knows what'll happen to me should I show up without one, aye?"

"If a lack of reply leads to your death, then who am I to oblige." Will countered sarcastically.

Jack tilted his head back in mock hurtfulness. "Don't blame the messenger. Isn't that what they say?"

"I hardly think that saying applies here, considering I doubt you've forgotten that it was _you _who made her turn pirate in the first place. _You're _the one who showed her freedom and adventure and made her crave after it. It's _your _fault that she became the Pirate King and, if not for _you_, Elizabeth and I would be living safely and contently in Port Royal like we've always wanted." he said coldly.

"Ye mean like _you've _always wanted. Well, at least you're making some progress, admitting that she's a pirate. And a hell of a good one, at that. Might I remind ye that she's had the displeasure of being stuck on land just like ye wanted. I guess she's had enough time to rethink her choices and has decided to follow her heart for once. If ye loved her at all, ye'd let her go."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you." His voice dripping with venomous disdain. "Then I suppose you would offer her a place on the _Pearl_? Sail off as though I never existed? As though we were never married?"

"I'm not here to tell ye what to do. I may, however, tell ye that letting her go would be the best course of action. After all, isn't it a husband's duty to respect his wife's wishes?"

"What would you know about matrimonial duties, Jack? You, who has never had eyes for one woman alone as I have for Elizabeth. Women are toys to you. You have no idea what love really is. It is not something to be taken lightly. And I am sorry to inform you that until I speak with Elizabeth, I refuse to take any course of action."

"And just how do ye plan on doing that? Ye can't step on land." he pointed out challengingly.

"True enough, but _you_ can bring her here on the _Pearl _and I can speak with her. We can sort this whole mess out together." he said, a threatening tone evident in his desolate voice.

"Oh yes, the three of us should be able to come to a lovely conclusion, I assure ye that, mate." he said jokingly.

"I'm serious, Jack." He sighed unhappily, tiredly. "Could you please, _please _do me this one favor?"

"I think I've done enough favors, considering you're not dead."

"No." His gaze grew blank again. "But I'm dying on the inside. Please, Jack. Bring her here. I need to talk to her."

"And what would I get in return?" inquired Jack after a moment of silence.

"Well, for one, I'll restrain myself from running my sword through you." He replied, only half-joking.

Jack studied Will's face carefully and came to the conclusion that the boy really was in the mood to kill something, or someone and, seeing as how he did not want to be that someone, he nodded his head slowly and retreated to the _Pearl_.

Before he re-submerged, Will shouted over the waves, "One week, Jack."

* * *

Jack grimaced, trying to think of a way out of this one. Strangely enough, after this last encounter, he came to find that he seemed to fear Will Turner more than he ever did Davy Jones. _That _was a problem in itself. Another problem was how he was going to convince Elizabeth to come see Will when he didn't want her to see Will. If she met with Will, then all of his hard work will have been for nothing. She will find out that he forged a letter from her that led Will to believe that she did not love him, which, from her original letter, was clearly not true. And yet, he liked to believe that it was true. That he only voiced the feelings she was too afraid to express herself. But still, he felt like a dirty, back-stabbing pirate. _Which_ was what he was. _A pirate_.

He smirked to himself. At least there was one good thing that came from all of this. Soon enough, he would be sailing on the _Black Pearl_ with Lizzie, just like he had initially tried to persuade (_persuade me_) her to do before. And somehow, the destination to which they would be sailing to seemed to be of little importance. All that was important was that he would be with her again. With Elizabeth. With _Lizzie…_

Elizabeth had not expected to hear from Jack so soon. She thought it would take months, perhaps years for him to reach Will or vice versa and return to her island to give her Will's reply. But on one Sunday morning, she opened the door and beamed with radiance as she saw the one person who had been there for her all this time. Her single visitor. Her savior. Her lov-

_Oh, come on now, Elizabeth. Stop thinking about him that way. And- and stop staring at him like that!_

"Jack." she said simply. Simply sweetly. Or was it sweetly simple? He just didn't know.

"Lizbeth. An' how are ye this fine morning?" he asked kindly.

"Surprised." He furrowed his eyebrows. "I just didn't expect to see you so soon. Not that I mind 

you visiting, it's just…"

"I can understand, luv. Ye just missed Captain Jack Sparrow, aye?" he asked arrogantly.

"Aye." she whispered, transfixed by the way his fathomless eyes were setting her entire self ablaze. "Aye… I mean, I didn't, I…" she trailed off, not wishing to cause any more confusion. "What are you doing here? Did you find Will?" she asked, her voice a little steadier than it was before but she could not say the same for her weak, trembling knees.

"I did indeed. And… we need to go." he stated decidedly.

She wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "Go? Go where?"

"To the _Black Pearl_." He spoke uncertainly.

"I thought that I had made myself perfectly clear. I'm not leaving." she replied resolutely.

"That's not what I meant, luv. Ye won't be leaving him since it's him who wants ye to leave."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, now even more confused than before.

"It's Will. He wants to see ye." he said irately, something which Elizabeth was shocked to notice.

"Oh, I… I see." she said indifferently. "Are we going, now, then?"

"Aye. Pack some things. We should be out for at least a week."

She smiled at 'we'. "What did he say?" Jack shot her a baffled look. "About the letter. Was he… did he seem excited? Elated? Happy?"

"Let's save these unimportantly ineffectual and worthless conversations and/or questions for later, savvy?"

"And who are you to determine their worth, _Captain _Sparrow? How do you know they are of no use?" she asked indignantly.

"Because there's only one question that you could ask me that would be of importance. I thought ye'd be quicker to try and find the answer to it but considering what ye said at the time, I shouldn't be surprised." he said sternly, recalling that fateful day in which she left him on the Pearl to die and was supposedly 'not sorry'. Now that he thought about it, she'd never asked for forgiveness...

Did she think, perhaps, that she did not deserve it? Or did she simply think that any efforts to earn said forgiveness would be futile, that Jack would never forgive her. The fact of the matter is, had she just asked, he would have. He _already _had.

He noticed with utter dismay, after a few silent moments, that her gaze had grown empty and her face became solemn. She looked up at him with glassy eyes and tugged on his sleeve as well as his heart.

"It's not as though I didn't want to ask. I was outright afraid. Why bother to ask for something that is completely out of the question? I don't know whether or not you care to hear this, but I _am _sorry." The tears began to flow. "So terribly sorry." she whispered, her sniffles the only audible 

sound in the house. "Do you-"

"Aye. I forgive ye, luv." he said, so quietly that she wasn't even sure he had said it all. It took a while before she comprehended what had just happened and a beautiful smile glittered across her lips.

"So-"

"So we have to go. Forget packing, luv." He pulled her arm, practically dragging her out the front door and only looked back when she resisted, firmly planting her feet on the ground. "Dress or nothing, right?" he spoke into her ear softly, his warm breath tickling her neck.

A small nod of approval was all he needed to lead them to the dinghy and sail it to the _Pearl_, docked just off shore. And in that longboat (she shuddered, thinking of the circumstances the last time she had been in a longboat), all she could think about was the journey ahead and the man who was waiting for her. Yet…

Yet, most of all, she was anxious to be on the sea again. _With Jack._ To be free. _With Jack._ To be on the _Black Pearl_. _With Jack._

_Jack…_

--

_A few days later…_

As Elizabeth saw that they were nearing the ship, her _husband's_ ship, she ran to Jack, who was at the helm. He had no complaints when she pulled him away from his thoughts for a moment. Seeing the bright smile on her face, he both resented and cherished it, for every time she smiled, the world seemed to be a better place and yet the reason for which she was smiling seemed to _dim _his world.

"What is it, Lizbeth?" he asked concernedly.

"It's just… I'm just so happy to have you in my life, Jack. Thank you, so much for doing this for me. I think I need it. I think he needs it, too." she said to him, knowing perfectly well that he knew she was referring to. _Will_.

He swallowed. "Aye. Well, how could I not follow the orders of Captain Turner?" he replied with a hint of irony in his voice.

"Yes, well… thank you, again. It means everything to me." She smiled at him even brighter than before, placing her gentle hand on his shoulder.

You_ mean everything to me._ "Well, you're welcome and all that." he said, smirking. "But now, if you'll excuse me, luv, I've got to get this ship over there or your gratitude will have been in vain."

She laughed very softly and walked towards the rail while Jack returned to the helm. While she toyed with a piece of cloth from her shirt, she began to have second thoughts. It felt so wonderful, so right to be back on the _Black Pearl_. It felt like home to her and she was beginning to believe that it would always feel more like home than that abandoned, lonely cottage she had on her island. It would never be a home. It was more like a prison. But it was a different kind of prison for it wasn't a guard that was keeping her in there. No, it was a mere feeling that kept her from escaping the four walls that locked her up. _Guilt_. Guilt, and guilt alone.

* * *

Will noticed a ship approaching and, with utmost apprehension, pulled out his spyglass to see Elizabeth, his beautiful Elizabeth, his wife looking smilingly at… Jack. His heart sank as the words from her letter began to flow back to him at an alarming rate. He hadn't seen nor heard from her or Jack in the past few days and he had waited offshore, occasionally returning to the depths to ferry a few souls.

He continued to watch astonishingly as she approached Jack and took his attention off of the helm yet again. He could only wonder what they were saying…

* * *

Elizabeth was nervous to be seeing Will again. She knew they were getting closer and she wondered how he would respond to her letter. Perhaps he had written one himself and preferred to deliver it in person? Why else would he want to see her if he could not be with her for long? Would the temptation not be too much for them to handle, making the next ten years or so even more difficult to endure? Still, she owed Jack. She owed him her life. And now, after she had taken his, he still continued to do favors for her. She could only wonder why…

* * *

Jack could tell from the corner of his eye that Elizabeth was approaching him yet again. The reason for said approach, however, was unknown. Did she even realize how she could seduce him without even saying a word? Could she even begin to comprehend the effect that she had on him? It was beyond anything he had ever experienced. It was an attraction so clear, so concise that he could barely decipher it. He turned around to face her, slightly startling her.

"Yes, luv?" he inquired, feigning annoyance at her tendency to interrupt him during his captaincy duties.

"Jack…" She bit her lip wearily, having no idea how much he had to control himself not to kiss her right there and then. "You do know how much you mean to me, don't you? I mean, the things you do for me. You don't-"

"Don't worry about it, darling."

"No, Jack. Listen to me. Please?" She pleaded with her eyes and he gave a small nod, encouraging her to continue. "You don't have to, especially after the things that… happened… between us and yet you do. I am ever grateful for that, Jack."

"Willing to show that gratitude, are ye?" he asked, half-heartedly joking, secretly wishing that she would.

She looked as if she was actually considering it when she gave him a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek softly. When she pulled back, the look on his face was quite humorous, his jaw dropped and eyebrows furrowed. Just as he was about to comment on how grateful he was for her gratefulness, she interrupted him, yet again putting him in a dismal state.

"So what did he say to you when he read my letter? You never answered me that back on the island." she asked innocently, failing to notice how her captain (_her captain?!_) seemed forlorn.

After clearing his throat, he blankly replied, "He just said he needed to see ye as soon as possible." It wasn't a lie and yet, considering that the letter itself was a lie, he was certainly not sinless.

"I think I'm going to rest for a bit. Will you let me know when we arrive?" she asked, yawning slightly.

"'Course, luv. Shouldn't be long, the _Dutchman's _right…" he trailed off, squinting into the distance, leaving Elizabeth perplexed.

And when she turned around smiling at Jack's suddenly uninhibited expression, that smile froze on her lips as she encountered what could possibly be the most beautiful sight if under different circumstances: an empty horizon.

The _Flying Dutchman_ was nowhere to be found.


	3. What Betrayal is Worth

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the amazing reviews! Yes, I know. What's going on? Two updates in one week? That's strange coming from me. But the thing is I was out of town for the 4th so... I worked really hard on this chapter and I hope you like it! Please review! **

**Hugs to Jack.Sparrow.1245, my wonderfully brilliant (or brilliantly wonderful) beta. You rock!**

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

Chapter 3: What Betrayal is Worth

* * *

Jack furrowed his brows trying to figure out what was going on. "Did ye see that?" he asked no one in particular. "Or rather not see… that?"

"I… I… Where's the _Dutchman_?" she asked, perplexed by the whole situation.

"That'd be precisely the question I just asked meself."

"And?" she pressed, crossing her arms in the process.

"No answer." he said, transfixed by the sight or lack thereof of Will's ghastly ghost ship. "Yet." he amended.

"He was right there, Jack. He was right _there_. What's happened?" she asked, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

"I don't know, luv. But I _do_ know that I want ye to get below deck."

"What? Why? I'm not some… some dog that you can just shoo whenever you wish!"

"Nay, luv, you're not but whatever happened to…" he trailed off, not wanting to say the whelp's name outside. If he _did_, it would more than likely be followed by a curse and he did not want to soil Lizzie's impression of him being a good man. Which… he _wasn't_. "Whatever happened can't be good. I won't have anything happening to ye on my ship." he said in a resolute tone of voice.

"Wait!" she shouted after him as he began to walk away from her. "Do you think he's alright? He can't be hurt, can he? He's immortal…" she reminded herself more than him.

"I wouldn't worry about dear William, luv." He paused and turned around, making sure she had gone down, which she had, before continuing. "I don't doubt that he left on his own accord."

Jack had a feeling that Will's disappearance had nothing to do with anything external. He still believed that whatever happened was bad, but not necessarily for Elizabeth. He doubted that Will would go as far as to actually hurt her. The thought of brave, noble Will hurting his wife (he cringed) just seemed far-fetched. Impossible. _Improbable…_

Still, he'd rather be on the safe side, and was glad that Elizabeth had (for once) decided to follow his orders. He loved her. God, did he love her. The obscure thing was, he wasn't sure when he started loving her, when he had actually developed solid feelings for her that could no longer be quenched by thoughts or dreams. He had never liked love. It made him feel vulnerable. He had told many women before that he loved them but no emotions were actually attached to the phrase. He mostly did it to get them in bed, which, to this day, was a fool-proof method.

With Elizabeth, however, it was different. He actually felt something when she was near (and when she wasn't, for that matter), and it made him wonder whether being in love was a good thing. It could crush him, as it had before, were he not careful enough. These were uncharted waters. She was another man's wife. It could not be so easy to steal her heart the way she had stolen his. _Bloody thief. And she doesn't even know it._

Could it be that his plan would actually work? Had Will truly abandoned her? If so, wouldn't he have explained? Or at least tried to fight for her? Jack's mind was filled with unanswered questions and yet, there was only one question that implored an answer: _how was Lizzie doing?_

Without regarding the helm, he ran down the stairs and stopped in the corridor, wondering which cabin she might have taken and finally decided upon checking each one.

He walked to the first door and opened it, surprised to find the room empty. This tendency continued until he reached the last door: the captain's quarters. He slowly opened the door, causing a slight creak to reverberate in the large cabin. A gasp then came from the golden-haired beauty that was sitting on his bed _(his bed!)_, her eyes red from crying. Even through her tear-stained face, he could easily see the blush that crept up her cheeks as she realized what an awkward situation she was in. The thought, at first, didn't seem strange at all. She was seeking shelter and Jack's cabin seemed to be the obvious choice. _Good thing he didn't walk in earlier_, she thought.

_Elizabeth walked down the stairs, wanting to get away from the situation. Her mind and heart raced as she began to wonder what could have happened to Will, and why he had disappeared so suddenly. Was it because they had to submerge or… had he _wanted _to submerge? Jack had told her he was the one who wanted to see her so perhaps he changed her mind, thinking it would only make it harder to wait for their one day which seemed to grow farther away than closer. _

_She walked down the hallway, trying to decide where to go until she spotted the elegantly carved door at the end of it. She took small steps until she reached it, slowly grabbing the doorknob and walking inside, shutting the door behind her. Jack's cabin. She felt ignited as her eyes scanned all of his belongings and his map and his desk and his… Oh my. It was then that she saw his bed and next to his bed, his compass. The compass. Hesitantly, she reached for the small (and broken, she thought curiously/memorably) contraption and opened it after taking a deep breath. Sure enough, the needle pointed to one place and one place only, and she began to think that perhaps her heading, the heading of her heart's desire, hadn't changed since their second quest together. _

_'How can this be? It should point to Will, not Jack. Will is my husband. I love him. I should… I do! _Don't_ I?'_

Did _she? That was one question she could not answer for herself. The thought that something may have happened to Will because Jack made her leave her island - her house so suddenly, leaving the chest alone and unguarded, made her own heart clench and the tears began and ceased to subside. Until Jack walked in, that is._

* * *

She sniffled a bit, trying to regain her composure, or at least as much as she could given the disturbing circumstances. Jack looked at her, his eyes narrowed and his face unreadable. She bowed her head, clumsily wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. She didn't want Jack to see her like this, to see her so defeated. She was the bloody _Pirate King_. She should not cry. She should not…

"Are ye alright, Lizbeth?" he asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Do I look alright?"

"Something must be on your mind." he replied, cautiously walking toward her and sitting down next to her on the bed. "You know you can tell me, luv."

"Do you think… do you think that maybe what happened to…" she widened her eyes, realizing that she could not bring herself to say his name either, the realization both exciting and frightening her to the core. "That maybe what happened has anything to do with the chest? I mean we - I - left it behind and… and it could be in danger."

"None of this is your fault, Lizbeth. Maybe he just had some souls to ferry. Can't abandon his duty or ye know what'll happen."

This fact brought a reassuring smile to her face as she decided she may have been overreacting a bit. "I suppose you're right. He hadn't meant to go, it was just… just his job." she said, avoiding his gaze.

After a few minutes of complete silence (with the exception of Jack and Elizabeth's uneven breathing), Jack started for the door. "I'll go tell Gibbs to set sail. You can stay in here, if you like. Maybe get some rest, ye look tired."

"Where are we sailing to?"

"I'm taking ye home." he said authoritatively.

"Why would you do that? I'm sure the _Dutchman_ will resurface momentarily."

"I don't think it takes a few minutes to ferry a soul, Elizabeth." he pointed out.

"No, but… but we should remain at sea in case he does show up."

She stopped making sense of her unusually odd thoughts the moment Jack threatened (well, he didn't threaten but definitely suggested) to take her back to the island. She didn't want that. The past couple of days brought back so many memories for her, both wanted and unwanted ones. She couldn't possibly imagine leaving all of this again to go back to that house.

_And yet, you promised. _

Jack tilted his head in amusement. She wanted to stay with him. She really wanted to stay. And he had the faintest idea that it was not _just _to wait for the arrival of her dearly betrothed. "I don't know, luv. It might take days, even weeks before he shows up again." _If he'll ever show up again…_

"I know." she said quietly, her voice wavering. "But I don't think I'd mind waiting it out. I mean…" Elizabeth swallowed, relishing the feel of his dark, almost black eyes staring into her light amber ones. "I've been on land all of this time and… and I'm the Pirate King, you know? I haven't sailed in two months, I miss the sea, I'd like to sail again and, of course-" she blabbed until Jack's finger touched her lips, encouraging her to stop.

"Ye talk too much for your own good, darling." Her eyes darted from his finger to his eyes, her mind searching for a way to stay calm and ignore the warmth that began to course frivolously through her body. "A pirate should never talk too much. It gives too much away. It makes ye look defensive. _Weak_. Pirates can't be weak, can they, luv?"

She _weakly_ shook her head no, her mind focused on something entirely different. She was hypnotized by his closeness, engrossed by his words, riveted by his gestures that were growing friendlier by the second. He drew the back of his hand lightly across her cheek, all comic amusement stripped from his face replaced by a serious, almost grim yet somehow, affectionate demeanor that caused Elizabeth to go even weaker in the knees. Jack's eyes wandered to her trembling hands and he smirked irresistibly when she began to close her eyes, leaving them half-lidded with her lips slightly parted.

"A pirate should never give in. Unless…" he trailed off, taking his finger off of her lips.

"Unless?" she asked, her lips pouting enticingly.

"Unless there's a compelling, overwhelming, and otherwise ever-strong overpoweringly powerful curiosity that keeps ye from doing such."

"Jack…" she meekly protested as he placed his other hand behind her neck, much like when they were stranded on the island. _Their_ island.

"Lizzie." He leaned in closer. "_Lizzie…"_

Jack leaned in even more and was about to kiss her when an unwelcome knock at the door interrupted him, making him recall that dreadful moment at which the black spot appeared, once again preventing him from kissing Elizabeth. When he pulled back and looked at her expression, he could tell that part of her was relieved while part of her seemed a bit frustrated and let down.

"Why, I'll kill whoever has the bloody nerve to…" he mumbled almost inaudibly, but enough for Elizabeth to hear and chuckle softly in response.

Jack walked up to the door and opened it just enough to see who it was.

"Yes, Mister Gibbs?" he asked, annoyed.

"Well, Cap'n, I was wondering what to do 'bout the whole… situation."

"An' what situation are ye speaking of?"

"Are we goin' to just sit an' wait here?" he asked apprehensively.

"We've got nothing to wait for." he whispered. "Just chart the course to Tortuga. If the new not-so-fish face wants to talk to us, he'll have to look for us himself."

"Aye, Cap'n."

Once he closed the door, he turned around to find Elizabeth right behind him, her eyes giving nothing away.

"What was that about?" she asked with curiosity.

He smirked. "Oh, nothing, luv. Just Gibbs."

She smiled. "Alright, then. I suppose I'll need a cabin if we're going all the way to Tortuga."

Her hand was on the knob. It was now or never. He couldn't lose her. Not again.

"One problem, Lizbeth." he said in a strained voice.

"And what would that be?" she inquired, stiffening at the thought of what that problem could possibly be.

"Well… The thing is, luv, we're over-crewed at the moment."

Her face overtook a look of bewilderment. "Over-_what_?"

"Over-crewed. We seem to have an excess of crewmembers on board." he explained cautiously, so as not to earn a slap to the face.

"Meaning?"

"Signifying that there is, in fact, a lack of cabins aboard this vessel. I'm terribly sorry, luv, but that looks as if it leaves ye out."

"Leaves me _out_?" she shouted, angry.

He was a little frightened by her temper, but couldn't help noticing how adorable she was when she was angry. Her jaw stuck out in indignation, and her eyes narrowed so alluringly. He almost enjoyed getting her riled up if only to see the look on her face. There was no telling what her unpredictable spirit would do next.

"If that is the case, _Captain Sparrow_, then you will be the good man we all know you are and give up your cabin for your King!" she stated, fuming.

Jack liked the idea of her being his King. She could have said 'the King' but she chose to say 'your King'. That had to mean something, it must have because-

"And furthermore, you will do it happily and quickly because I am tired and I need a place to rest!"

"Might I remind ye, _Your Highness_," he smirked, "that it is because of _me_ ye have your royal title to throw at others in the first place."

Her expression softened, "Yes. Thank you so much for that, by the way." and then hardened once again. "And may _I_ remind _you_ that the only reason you voted for me was because you knew I'd do what _you_ wanted. You knew I'd be in favor of fighting. So don't act all innocent around me, Jack Sparrow. I'm afraid you're the one who's going to have to sleep on deck tonight." She finished, breathing heavily at her exerting speech.

"The deck? Do ye honestly think I'd be that cruel to ye? I wasn't thinking the deck at all. I was going to say, before you so viciously interrupted, that I would be willing to share me cabin with ye." Her eyes widened. "I promise to be a perfect gentleman, luv. It'd just be business."

She huffed. "And I'm supposed to trust you? Do you think I'm actually going to believe that you'll just stay on your side of the bed and not try anything?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

He narrowed his eyes comically. "I'm deeply flattered that ye'd consider sharing beds, darling, but I was intending on sleeping on the floor. If ye insist, though…"

"No. The floor will be fine." she said, blushing at her inappropriate thoughts.

"Thank you, Jack? I appreciate you giving up your cabin?" He looked at her annoyed face expectantly. "Anything?"

"If anything, it's you who should be thanking me. The King answers to no one, and yet I'm being gracious enough to let you stay instead of sleeping on deck where you would surely wake up in the morning with the result countless pranks carried out in the middle of the night." She announced proudly.

"Aye. Thank ye, luv." _Thank ye, indeed._

* * *

Will Turner couldn't get that picture out of his head. How could Elizabeth possibly do that to him? How could Jack do that to him? Actually, he could see how Jack was capable of that kind of betrayal, but never Elizabeth. Yes, she had clearly stated her feelings (or lack of feelings) in that letter, but it may have been written on a whim. Something that, upon thinking over it, she now regretted. But he was only looking for a plausible justification to that which did not deserve clarification. He didn't want to clarify the situation for he feared what he might discover.

Perhaps Jack had been to the island and forced her to write that letter. Yes, that was plausible. Maybe he threatened her. And yet a nagging voice inside him told him that Jack would never do that. If he did indeed care for Elizabeth (which he doubted, since Jack was not capable of caring for anything or anybody other than himself and perhaps rum), he would never threaten to harm her in any way. Still… he just could not believe that Elizabeth was capable of producing such hurtful words knowing how much he loved her. Maybe Jack was right. Maybe she had just grown tired of waiting.

_Great. It's only been two months and _already_ she's decided to break her promise._

Although it was not her promise to break. He knew Elizabeth. He had known her since he was just a child. She would never treat his life, his existence with such carelessness. She wouldn't condemn him to an eternity of dealing with death, for she knew first-hand how terrifyingly awful death could be.

She must have been grateful that he submerged and she did not have to face him. Or perhaps she didn't care to not look him in the eye. Maybe she was proud of her decision? Could it be that she thought that by leaving him she was somehow emancipating herself from his grasp, giving herself the freedom to do what she wished? It was definitely a possibility. Nevertheless, she was his wife. They had gotten married and she had consciously agreed. There was no reason for her to want to leave now. At least she was alive. At least she could see the sunrise every morning and experience life's joy while he was stuck in a depressing world where every though, every action had to do with death, often caused him to recall his _own _death.

Elizabeth had seemed so distraught when he died. Was it all an act? Something to make his last few moments on Earth more meaningful? Yet, if it was all a joke, if her tears were fake, it would have only made it more meaningless. And then Jack pulled her away. He seemed to always be doing that. He always seemed to come between them, whether he was dead or alive. Not even when he was dead and gone did it bring him closer to Elizabeth. Something had happened while they were searching for the chest, he was sure of it. Whatever was between Jack and Elizabeth did not occur overnight, and they had a good couple of days while they sailed to Isla Cruces. It frightened him. It frightened him at the prospect of what could have possibly happened. Part of him wanted to go back in time and see for himself, but part of him wanted to forget it all, leaving only the memories of him together with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth. He paused and tried to rethink his assumptions. He shouldn't have necessarily conjectured that there was something between Elizabeth and Jack. Just because he saw them next to each other didn't mean that they were in love. They may have been talking or simply standing there. He shouldn't have jumped to such distressing conclusions. If there was a problem between him and his wife, they should work it out together and yet here he was, hiding away like a coward.

_I'm sure Jack's enjoying this_, he thought, irritated at his own foolishness.

Now all he had to do was find Elizabeth. He looked over at his father, who was currently welcoming some souls aboard the ship. He had to find Elizabeth, but it would have to wait until he got the job, his job with which he was cursed, done.

* * *

The rest of the day passed by reasonably swift for both Jack and Elizabeth. Jack manned the helm, and Elizabeth spent her time swapping stories with Gibbs, who was an avid storyteller himself. He mostly told her Jack's tales, many of which she knew already but could not wait to hear from a primary source. She was told of when Jack sacked Nassau Port without firing a single shot, and then when he pretended to be a member of the clergy. He even told her of Jack's previous dealings with the East India Trading Company, something she was utterly shocked to find out.

"You mean… Jack used to work for Beckett?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Aye." nodded Gibbs. "But don't go tellin' Jack I told ye. The Cap'n doesn't like to be reminded of the old days. Do ye know why he was branded a pirate in the first place?"

She just shook her head no, encouraging him to continue. "Well, Jack had been sailing on his ship, the _Wicked Wench_, to Africa to pick up the cargo that Beckett, who wasn't a Lord at the time, ordered him to pick up. When he got there, he found out that the cargo was really people. Slaves to be brought from England and to the Americas. Jack didn't have it in him to go through with the job, so he set 'em all free. However, one of his crewman sent word back to England, where Beckett ordered the ship be shot down, and for Jack be captured. An' so the _Wicked Wench_ sank, along with the crew, including the one who told on Jack. Served him right, if ye ask me. Ol' Jack was the only one to survive. He was taken back to England where they branded him a pirate and left him with nothin' but a 'P' to his name. It was then that he got involved with Jones an' sold his soul to the Captain, who kept his word and raised Jack's ship from the depths. Jack went and renamed her _The Black Pearl_. He was to be her captain for-"

"Thirteen years. Thirteen years he would be her Captain, and then he'd have to serve one-hundred years on the _Dutchman_, correct?"

"Aye, Miss Elizabeth." He shook his head amusedly, surprised at just how much she knew about Jack. "That'd be exactly it."

She looked at Jack, who stood gloriously at the helm, before turning back to Gibbs. "So despite his reluctance to admit it, there is a heart of gold in there somewhere, isn't there."

"Oh, I think you'd know the answer to that more than the rest of us." he said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, appalled at his apparent assumptions.

Mister Gibbs simply stood up, looked between her and the Captain a few times, then walked away, chuckling to himself. Elizabeth was infuriated. She did not like to be the subject of ridicule and gossip. What had Gibbs meant? Why should she know better than anybody else? She knew it was pointless to ask these questions when she obviously was blatantly aware of the answers herself.

She didn't even notice that it had gotten dark and most of the crew was retiring to bed. It was only when Jack came over and tapped her on the shoulder that she realized the nighttime surroundings.

"Are ye still staying in me cabin, or have ye decided to take the empty spot on deck, luv?"

"What gave you that idea?" she asked haughtily.

"Oh, nothing. Just that you've been up here all day. I wasn't sure if ye had it in ye to move or if ye were glued to the spot!"

She stood up so she could be eye-level with him. There was something about people looking down on her, whether literally or figuratively that bothered her tremendously.

"I am perfectly capable of going wherever I wish, Captain Sparrow."

"Is that so, Captain Swann?"

"It is so!" she smirked. "And it's Captain Turner."

She was taken aback at the genuinely offended look on his face when she mentioned the name Turner. It made her want to take it back, to take it _all _back, but she feared that this time in their incessant bantering she had crossed the line.

His smirk turned into what she could only describe as a sneer, no matter how mild it may have been. "Well then, Captain _Turner_, if ye wish to find me, I shall be in my cabin, in me bed." He wrinkled his forehead as if remembering something. "Actually, I won't be in me bed but on the floor of me cabin so… please do your best not to step on me?" he pointed out, his humorous behavior back.

She smiled faintly and nodded, glad that he was back yet baffled by how seriously he had taken her innocent (well, innocent to her) remark. She did not know that she had that much control over him. It was invigorating and alarming at the same time. Deciding not to worry about it tonight, she realized it would be best if she just slept on it and headed to her -to _Jack's_- cabin.

Elizabeth unhurriedly opened the door so as not to make too much noise for the captain who was lying on the ground sleeping and, to top it all off, shirtless. She suppressed a shudder that crept up her spine and soundlessly walked towards the bed, leisurely letting herself sink into the soft surface and wrapping herself in the covers that smelled of the man lying just a few feet away. She inhaled his scent - a mix of rum, the sea, and something indescribable, something that could only belong to Jack. It smelled of freedom, and it was only then that she came to comprehend the fact that she was in Jack Sparrow's bed, where he slept. Every night. Every _damn_ night.

She wanted to squeal in delight, but knew that it would wake Jack up. Lifting her head from the extremely comfortable pillows, she propped her head on her hand, her elbow supporting the weight, and looked at Jack. Just looked at him, taking in all that he was. Much to her dismay, she noticed that his expression was a bit abnormal, his face wincing as though he was in pain. She looked at the cold, hard floor and realized that it really wasn't fair for him to sleep there and that 

it must be quite uncomfortable. He could have told her to go to hell when he explained that there were no rooms left and then she basically tore his head off, screaming at him for no apparent reason. And after all she had done to him… It couldn't hurt. She scanned the bed. There was plenty of room for the both of them. He _had _promised to be a gentleman.

Her mind was made up when she heard him subconsciously whisper her name and an unrecognizable phrase that sounded something like "Lizzie… Te amo. Te quiero, Lizbeth. Te amo…"

She felt truly bad for him and slipped out of bed, leaning over him while trying to wake him up. She called his name a few times, but it didn't seem to work very well. Then, she tried shaking him and calling his name a bit louder, which also proved to be futile. Then, she said the one word that could get him up in a heartbeat.

"Rum." she whispered into his ear, relishing the feeling of being so close to him.

Much to her surprise, he didn't wake up and only shifted his position, curling up like a small child.

"Jack. Wake up. _Jack_." She sighed. _Alright._ _No more Miss Nice King_. "Jack, wake up or I'll burn the rum." she threatened.

In a matter of seconds, Jack's eyes shot open and he sat up, looking everywhere while checking for a fire. "What? Where am I, where's the rum? I swear if ye burn it again…" he said, panicking.

She laughed to herself. "Don't worry, Jack. There's no fire here."

"Then why'd ye wake me up?"

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to… if you wanted to come up on the bed with me." she asked uncertainly.

He smirked. "And why is that, luv?"

"You looked uncomfortable. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Alright." Getting up, he threw himself onto the bed, pulling her down with him. "Goodnight, Lizzie-luv." he said, his breath hot on her ear.

"Goodnight, Jack." she whispered back. And then she remembered what he had said before. "Te amo?"

Jack's eyes widened. _Did she just say what I think she just said?_ He gulped. "Beg pardon, dearie?"

"Te amo. What does that mean, Jack?"

"Where did ye hear it?" he asked.

"You said it in your sleep. You said it a lot, actually." She heard him gulp again. "What does it mean?"

"It means…" he began, thinking of what he could possibly say, "It means 'more rum' in Spanish." _Yes, that's good, Jack. She offers ye a bed and ye lie to her right after._

"Oh." she replied. "Goodnight."

Jack waited until her breathing steadied and he was sure she was asleep before he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her even closer to him, whispering in her ear, "I love you, Lizzie…" before falling asleep himself.


	4. The Different Faces of Rum

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A/N: Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews! The historical information near the end of this chapter is accurate, I actually did research it. Nothing but JE in this chapter except at the end. Oh, and a BIG thank-you to my fantastic beta, Jack.Sparrow.1245. You're awesome.

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

Chapter 4: The Different Faces of Rum

* * *

___The Black Pearl was nearing its destination. Jack could see the island just on the horizon and was growing more and more anxious by the minute. He told Gibbs to take the helm and walked to a certain pirate lass who was standing at the railing. Well, her and someone else…_

_He came up from behind, embracing her tightly and resting his chin on her shoulder, causing a beautiful smile to grace her lips. _

_"How are ye today, luv?" he asked, burying his nose in her sweet, golden hair._

_"Oh, we're fine, aren't we, Lily?" she replied, looking down at the six year old girl who looked so much like her father. _

_The little girl nodded and smiled widely as Jack picked her up and sat her on the railing, holding her carefully so as not to let her drop._

_"What brings you here, Jack? I thought you were busy at the helm." Elizabeth inquired in a teasing voice, eliciting a smirk from her captain._

_"Well, luv, I was but I figure I'd do the honor of telling me wife…" he paused, kissing her tenderly, "and me daughter that we're almost at the Fountain." he finished, patting Lily's head._

_Elizabeth's eyes widened considerably. "You're not serious. The Fountain of Youth? You mean… you mean we've _made_ it?"_

_"Almost, darling. An hour, two at the most and we'll be eternally happy immortals. The Immortal Captain Sparrows. Has a nice ring to it, aye?"_

_"Aye, aye Captain." She whispered into his ear seductively. _

_In what seemed like less than five minutes, they had reached the island and were getting off, the entire crew following Jack and his family to the source of the enchanted water._

_He was the first to grab one of the crystal glasses and dip it in the murky liquid, bringing it to his lips. Elizabeth cringed as he drank the seemingly dirty water and was shocked to see the look of complete contentment on his face when he swallowed. After he downed the entire drink, he held the glass out in front of him and looked at it in wonder._

_"Bugger…" he said, mesmerized by the brown water._

_Elizabeth grew worried and frowned in confusion. "Jack?" His smile widened. "Jack, what is it, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, luv." He chuckled softly. "But whatever ye do… please don't burn it."_

_"Burn what?" she asked, not having the slightest clue as to what he was even referring to. _

_"The Fountain. It's not the water that's enchanted. It's immortalizing rum." he said with an infectious smirk. _

* * *

He awoke to find himself and Elizabeth in the exact same position as the night before, although he had a feeling that they were a bit closer, and this time not by his doing. He smiled at the peace he felt, making him recall his dream in which he and Elizabeth were husband and wife and had a daughter. A beautiful little girl who was the incarnation of her darling mother. This, however unfortunate it may be, was not reality and would most likely never become so, but he was comforted by the similar serenity he felt in the dream of just having her cuddled in his arms.

He took a moment just to watch her, to look at her because it was at times like this that her true feelings, her true self was laid bare. He could see her for who she was and not who she tried so desperately to be. She seemed so innocent when she was asleep and yet, he knew that her innocence had been taken from her long ago. The moment she had been kidnapped by Barbossa and his cursed pirate crew, she lost whatever virtue she had so carefully guarded back in Port Royal. The whole endeavor, the entire experience brought out the pirate in her. It brought to light the pirate that she was, that she had been all along. The pirate that had an insatiable curiosity and an unquenchable lust for adventure. He was proud of her. She knew how to keep her mask on well and her true thoughts concealed. And so he took great pleasure in seeing her this way. Simple and pure. It was these moments he savored and craved more of.

As though fate were toying with him, Elizabeth began to stir and she opened her eyes ever so slowly coming face to face with Captain Jack Sparrow's obsidian kohl-lined eyes, the ones that always seemed to draw her in. This time was no exception.

At first she had no idea where she was, but after blinking a few times she realized the position she was in and noticed with utmost delight that he was staring at her with a gaze so tenderly adoring that she couldn't quite bring herself to pull away from his embrace. It slightly alarmed her how…how _sincere _and _meaningful _his expression seemed. All she could think about was the powerful intimacy of this moment. It was as though all past fouls and regrets had been forgotten leaving just the two of them in resolute silence which, oddly enough, resembled tranquility.

No words were spoken as they continued to lock eyes with one another, each confessing their discreet desires that were not meant to be said out loud. Elizabeth thought of the time when she lived in Port Royal before she became familiar the life she now led. How she had been unwillingly sheltered in that dreadfully ordinary way of life, unable to see and experience things for herself. _Sheltered?_ She scoffed inwardly. More like imprisoned. And when she looked into Jack's dark, mysteriously alluring eyes, it made her forget she was ever imprisoned leaving only good, happy thoughts of freedom.

When she felt Jack's hand gently caressing her arm, something inside her snapped her back into reality and with fierce quickness, she jumped out of bed, somehow managing to retain her feline grace. Jack's face fell as he finally acknowledged that the moment was over and soon, she would be yelling and screaming and possibly slapping him for even thinking he could touch her in such a way. _Oh well_, he thought. _At least she's cute when she's angry._

Yet, to his bemusement, she didn't start screaming or even showing any signs of aggression. She just stood there, her bottom lip quivering, eyes alert and untrusting. Jack slowly sat up, taking a deep breath thinking that perhaps she simply had a moment of weakness and the yelling would be imminent, but he was wrong. She continued to stand there looking distraught and confused. She wanted to scream. She had every right. Hell, she had every duty to shout at him, tell him what a dirty scoundrel he was, accuse him of having dishonorable intentions and betraying her after she so generously offered to share the bed to him, granted it wasn't even her bed. She couldn't do any of that, though. She didn't truly believe that he had tried to violate her in any way. Elizabeth knew Jack was a good man, and _that _was part of what was confusing her so much. He was being genuine. She looked at him and mentally scolded herself for acting so strange in his presence, then decided to put off contemplating the vague meaning of the otherwise innocent gestures. Smilingly, she sat next to him on the bed, acting as natural and casual as possible.

"Morning, Lizzie." he offered, pleased when no slap followed his words. "Sleep well?"

"Good morning, Jack. Or should I say buenos dias?" she said in a perfect accent.

His eyes widened in both fear and astonishment. "Where'd ye learn how to say that, luv?"

"Oh, it's just about the only Spanish I know." she replied, her mind seeming to be somewhere else. "Back in Port Royal, my father tried to get me to learn as many languages as possible but I never got to Spanish, mostly French and Dutch." she explained plainly.

"Quite the cultured one, aren't you." he said, smirking.

"Me?" she asked, shocked. "What about you? You're the one who knows how to say 'more rum' in Spanish. Or do you make it a point to know how to say that in every language?" Her voice was teasing, and he wondered if perhaps she really did not know what he had told her last night.

His smirk widened when he noticed a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Actually… my mother was from Peru. She taught me the language when I was younger." She smiled, knowing that she was probably one of the few people who knew this about the infamous Jack Sparrow. "Before she died." he added solemnly.

Elizabeth gasped and placed her warm hand on Jack's, rubbing her thumb gently across knuckles. "I'm so sorry, Jack. That's just terrible. How did she-"

"Beckett." he said ruefully, thankful that the bastard was finally dead and gone, alleging his mother and Elizabeth's father's death.

Elizabeth went speechless. So Beckett had killed Jack's mother. But why would he…? And then she remembered Gibbs' story about Jack once working for the Company. Beckett wanted revenge after Jack freed all those slaves much like he wanted revenge after she turned pirate. It was then that she understood why Jack had looked so sad and distant when her father had died. It wasn't because he was still upset with her for killing him. It was because he could relate and one of his parents was taken away by the same way for relatively the same reason. In a way, they had both brought on those deaths. It was their fault caused by their choices. But there was no going back on a choice once you made it, and that was why she would have to be careful. If she made the wrong choice this time, yet another life would be lost or at least put in danger. Yet, at the same time, it was also no use blaming themselves for what happened.

She didn't even notice that she was crying until Jack began to wipe the tears away, a concerned look plastered on his face. "What's wrong, luv?" He knew all too well what was wrong. It had only been a few months since her father's death and this kind of wound stuck around. It never left but merely hid itself, lurking in the shadows of one's memory, just waiting to show itself and bring back the pain along with it. She had only had one good cry over her father and Jack felt it was time for another so without a second thought, he pulled her against him allowing her head to rest against his chest, comforting her with the soothing motions of his hands on her back. "It's alright darling. Let it out." Let it out, she did. Jack cringed at her muffled sobs and sometimes hysterical cries. Death was not an easy thing to deal with, that much he knew and so, he let her soak his shirt with her tears and he continued to hold her close, never letting go, never letting her feel alone.

When she finally pulled back her eyes were red and puffy, but she felt much better on the inside. She had been holding it all in and it just wasn't healthy. She felt freer now. Not _only _because she let go of all her emotions that had been bottled up but, in her anguish, she found assurance. Never in a million years would she have thought that Jack had it in him to sit with someone while they cried their hearts out and, at the same time, offer solace even when he himself had been through the same thing. Perhaps he had an even bigger heart, and perhaps an even bigger part of him was a good man than she had originally anticipated.

"Feel better?" he asked in all seriousness.

She nodded meekly. "Yes. Thank you." she whispered.

"Back to me old question. Did ye sleep well?"

A small laugh escaped her lips, amused at how easily he could get his humor back. "Yes, very well. And you?"

"Just splendidly." he replied with an impish smile. "And…" he trailed off, unsure of how to say what he wanted to say.

"What is it, Jack? What's wrong?" He smiled at her worry, thinking of the Elizabeth (the one that was his wife) in his dream saying the exact same thing to him. For some reason, it made him feel nice and warm inside, gave him a scrap of faith, however unlikely and hopeless that faith may be.

"I'm not really good at telling people this, so I'll just come right out and say it." She braced herself. "Thank ye for helping me out last night, luv. Like ye said to me, 'ye didn't have to and yet you did'."

He was a bit confused by her disappointment, but shook it off when she smiled once again, even if the smile did seem a bit forced. "You're welcome, Jack."

* * *

The rest of the morning went by relatively quickly, complete with a wonderful breakfast prepared by Marty and a pleasant conversation that followed the meal. Elizabeth truly felt at home with the _Pearl's _crew. They had grown to like her, as well. After all, she was their King, but it went beyond forced loyalties and excessively overdone politeness. They really, genuinely liked her. Even Barbossa's ex-crew Pintel and Ragetti - as well as others - liked her and enjoyed talking to her. She had proven that she was one of them. She pulled her weight on the ship and always offered a helping hand to the crew. She was a captain, now, herself and could be off on her own ship but they admired the fact that she was modest enough and willing to serve under another captain and collaborate with his crew instead of trying to undermine his authority. And she liked feeling accepted. They were like her second family. Her first family, even, considering everybody else was dead.

Well, everybody but Will. Her husband. Strange, how she seemed to have to remind herself of that little detail every so often. Maybe it was because of a pirate captain who seemed to be there for her more than Will ever was that her mind kept purposely forgetting that little detail and, consequently, forgetting its purpose. What did it mean to be husband and wife? She feared she would never find out. Her husband was never there. Even when she had gone to him by his own request, he just left. It hurt her in a way, but it also made her feel less obligated to return to the island. Ever. What did she owe him now? Why couldn't she just sail the seas until that one day? Well, there was still the matter of that damned chest, but it was well hidden and she had the key. She had all of her belongings there as well, but she had no doubts that Jack would shower her with new clothes and weapons. All she had to do was say the word. There really was no need to go back if she didn't want to, and each moment she spent with Jack made her want it less and less.

After breakfast, Elizabeth decided to go about the ship and explore a bit more. Yes, she knew the _Black Pearl _well, but not well enough. She had never even been inside the rum cellar before!

_The rum cellar. That's it! I could certainly use some rum right now… What is it about this ship and that man that makes me act like a different person?! Perhaps rum is a good idea. It always helps Jack, so it should help me too._

With that, she went about the ship looking for the rum cellar. Jack was at the helm and, having seen her wandering about, wondered what _exactly _she was looking for. _It better not be the bloody rum_, he thought, refusing to believe that he could trust her near his precious drink. Speaking of rum, he could certainly use some right now. His mind was a mess and he wouldn't even get started on how jumbled up his heart was. Nothing was making sense, and yet everything seemed clearer. It was almost like a paradox of sorts for everything that was, and also wasn't at the same time. _Very strange thoughts, indeed. Better I get that rum now, eh?_

"Mr. Cotton!" he called.

The old man approached his captain and took over the helm. "Shiver me timbers!" replied his parrot.

Jack walked below deck and went into his cabin to get the keys to the rum cellar. He smirked to himself when he saw the bed. The bed they had shared last night. _Not the time for those kinds of thoughts, mate. That's after the rum._ He quickly left the room before even more images and feelings entered his mind. When he got to the door, it was a sight to behold.

Elizabeth was crouched down on both knees concentrating on trying to pick the lock with nothing but her hairpin, grunting in disapproval when the door refused to budge. It was when she heard a small laugh that she turn to see Jack leaning against the wall, studying her with a smirk playing about his face.

"Any luck?" he asked, clearly amused by the situation.

She frowned slightly, pouting her lips. "No, actually. And before you say anything, I can't believe you keep the rum locked up! Do you honestly not trust your crew?"

"Of course I trust me crew, luv. But ye see, the thing is that one can never be too careful. Ever since ye burned the rum I've been protective of it. Can't risk have something like that happen again, aye?" he joked.

She rolled her eyes. "Will you ever forgive me for that?" Her voice sounded exhausted.

"Luv, I may forgive ye for tempting me, marooning me, even killing me, which I have done so already, but I will never forgive ye for burning the rum. It's an unforgivable crime, darling." he said, a hint of humor in his voice. _Only _a hint.

"Will you just hurry up and open this bloody door? I'm thirsty and I'd like some rum."

He narrowed his eyes. "Fine. On one condition, though, luv. Repeat after me."

_Oh, goodness. He is so infuriating! And-and… and by God, he has the most gorgeous eyes._ "Alright." she whispered, distracted by her thoughts.

"I, Elizabeth Sw-_Turner_, hereby promise and/or swear not to burn, deface, or destroy Captain Sparrow's rum in any way, shape, or form." he recited seriously.

Her eyes glinted with amusement. "I, Elizabeth Sp-_Turner_, promise to not kill Captain Sparrow for daring to try and best the King of the Brethren Court. Now open the door, if you please, Captain." she said seductively.

"If I'd known that voting _for_ ye would result in such dishonest abuse of power _from_ ye, I'd have voted for the bloody Frenchman." he muttered, unlocking and opening the door, holding it open for her. "Lead the way, _Your Majesty_." he mocked.

Elizabeth walked inside and came to realize why Jack kept the cellar locked up. There were walls and walls of rum. If one of the crewmembers got in here, the entire ship would fall apart. Then everyone, and not just the captain, would be drunk _all _the time. Not even the _Pearl _could live through that, as strong as she was. She jumped and let out a small yelp when Jack shut the door and locked it, making her feel oddly insecure, _especially _when he looked at her with that all-knowing smirk and those unfathomable eyes that could make her do just about anything. As a matter of fact, just the thought of Jack being there with her could make her do anything.

Jack inspected the walls, appearing to be looking for something. He scanned the bottles and then looked at Elizabeth and she had the strangest idea that he was analyzing her. For what, she could only guess. As though finally sure of what he wanted, he grabbed a bottle that appeared to be unopened and sauntered his way back to Elizabeth who eyed him anxiously. He presented the bottle to her and she looked at it, noticing the strange white color of the liquid.

"What is this?" she asked.

"That, luv, is some of the finest rum in the Caribbean." he said confidently.

"This…" she started, disbelievingly. "This is rum." she said, uncertain.

"Aye, luv. That there is White Rum. Aren't ye the one who says rum is a vile drink? How can ye say that if you've never even seen White Rum before?"

"I… I didn't know there were different types of rum. How come you never drink it?" she asked accusingly.

"What? And have me crew find out I keep this down here? No, luv. This stuff is only for special occasions." he explained.

"So this is White Rum. What else is there, what's the difference?" she inquired, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Well, there's White, Golden, and Dark Rum. White being the lightest and Dark being the strongest. The thing about White Rum, though, is the way they make it in the French Islands, where this bottle's from." he said, gesturing to the bottle she was holding. "Ye can mix it with other things, fruit and spices and such to make it a bit more tasteful, aye? This one's from French Polynesia. It's got White Rum and pineapple, as well as some other spices."

"Oh, so you don't think I can handle the Dark Rum?" she asked haughtily.

"That's not it, at all, dearie. This rum is aged specially and is very difficult to find, Dark Rum being the preferred drink of pirates. But this… this bottle's worthy of a Pirate King. It's worthy of someone like ye, Lizbeth." he reasoned.

She smiled. He had been considerate enough to find something that she might like.

"Go on, Lizzie. Try it out. Just might make ye like rum and take back those horrible things ye said about it before. Might even make ye regret your mistakes on a certain island?"

"Alright, I'll try it." she said, uncorking the bottle and taking a sip.

The taste surprised her greatly. It wasn't as strong as the rum Jack had given before and so she assumed that he liked the Dark Rum. This, however, was sweet and the hint of pineapple actually made it delicious. It went down her throat smoothly and tingled rather than burned. She took another, much larger drink this time and savored the taste. She had to admit that Jack was right. It actually made her like rum.

It invigorated Jack to watch her enjoy the rum so much. Had he known she would have liked it so much, he would have given it for her to try long ago. Thankfully, he had at least enough White Rum to last them (well, her, considering the rest of the crew preferred the stronger stuff) until Tortuga where he would be sure to get plenty extra just for her.

Before she knew it, she had downed half the bottle and Jack was still watching her, that infuriatingly beautiful smirk on his face. Embarrassed, she set the bottle down and smiled at him.

"It's… nice." she said as indifferently as possible. "Different, I suppose."

"Oh, come on, darling. Ye know ye loved it." he countered.

"Alright, alright. It was… _very _nice. I have to say I was wrong about rum and I'm sorry I ever burned it." she replied sheepishly.

He eyed her up and down and, after deciding that she genuinely meant it, gave her a slight nod. "It's alright, luv. I'm just glad you're enjoying yourself." he said.

"Do you mind…?" she held the bottle up, a request clear in her amber (_should've given her Gold Rum now that I think about it_) eyes.

"Course, luv. Drink as much as you'd like." _Or_ more_ than you'd like, for that matter._

"Drink up me hearties, yo ho." she said before taking another swig.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a White Rum life's for you." he sang.

Although White Rum didn't taste as strong as regular Dark Rum, it still, more or less, had the same effects and as he watched her drink up the last half of the bottle, he knew he was in for an interesting night.

* * *

They say that drunks are the most honest people in the world. Jack and Elizabeth were no exception. Jack had his share of rum while Elizabeth, as well, found her taste for the once vile drink. The pair spent the rest of the day together sword-fighting (a miracle nobody got hurt), organizing Jack's cabin, swapping pirate songs, singing _their_ song, and just having conversations. Yes, the conversations were a tad bit slurred but since they were both drunk, they somehow understood each other.

"An' so, me aunt… or was it me uncle… no matter, he or she told the man 'no more water. Más ron' and the waiter brought the rum!" and he laughed hysterically so, with nothing else to do, Elizabeth joined in the laughter.

"But… but what is 'más ron', Jack?"

"Well, me auntcle… or aunt or uncle's, me mum's half-sister from Spain, so it'd be 'more rum'." he slurred.

"But Jack? Is that in… in Spain? In… Spanish?"

"Spanish? My mother's Spanish… Aye?"

"You said that… that 'te amo' meant 'more rum' in Spain. Spanish!" she giggled.

"No, luv. 'Te amo' is 'I love'…" he trailed off.

"What? You love? Love… Rum! I love White Rum, which do you like, Jack?" she said, unaware of what she was saying. Being drunk had that effect on you.

"Dark Rum! But I like Lizzie! Oh, te amo, Lizzie. Más ron!"

"Yes, more rum!" she shouted.

And when Jack noticed Elizabeth slipping in and out of sleep, he carried her to his bed and tucked her in, wishing her goodnight. The truth was, he should have gotten some much-needed sleep as well but just couldn't bring himself not to steer his beloved _Pearl _who, lately, had gotten little if no attention from him. Since Elizabeth came aboard, she had the night shifts at the helm which was usually his job and, after seeing how tired it left her, he decided to relieve her of that duty giving him time with his special girl again.

Occasionally, he called it the _Crystal Swann_, or at least liked to think of it as such. To him, she would always be a Swann. A beautiful and free swan. And he thought of her as a crystal because she was priceless and perfect in every way. And she was strong, too. As strong as a crystal. Beautiful and strong. True enough, the ship was still the _Black Pearl_ but one day, he would get her a ship and call it the_ Crystal Swann. _He could hardly wait to see the look on her face. It would be magnificent, just like her. It could even be built after the _Pearl!_ For her, he would do anything. Even make a replica of his most prized possession. And the _Pearl _was only his most prized possession because she was in his possession… yet. But, the moment she becomes his (if she becomes his), she would be his most prized possession and _Pearl _would be bumped down to second place. _Girl over ship, aye?_

Jack's eyes swept over the clear, moonlit night and he sighed, feeling the same peace he had when he first woke up. Peace in knowing that Lizzie was asleep in his bed and that she finally liked rum and that… that they seemed to be getting along better. It was comforting to know that they weren't constantly at each other's throats. Suddenly, as if meant to ruin the peace that he felt, a worn out ship came rising from the depths of the eerily calm seas and its captain looking to be in high spirits, something that worried Jack greatly. And all he could think about was the sweet, beautiful angel that was in his cabin sleeping calmly and he would make sure that her rest went undisturbed. But when he saw the look on Will's face, he became conscious of the annoying fact that it wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

* * *

The captain of the _Flying Dutchman _was anxiously awaiting the moment he would see his beautiful wife and they could discuss that blasted letter. He didn't want to believe that the words she wrote were true. He couldn't believe them. She was Elizabeth. She was the girl who promised to watch over him all those years ago. He knew for a fact that she didn't have it in her to write something like that and actually mean it.

_Well, there's only one way to find out. I hope she's still there._

The ship approached the _Black Pearl_ fairly quickly much to Jack's dissatisfaction.

Next to Will stood Bootstrap, the whelp's father, who looked concerned. He had read the letter from Elizabeth (actually, from Jack) and was quite worried about the girl's state of mind. They had always seemed so in love… It just didn't seem right. Something was going on.

Seeing father and son together like that made him think of his father, Teague, whom he resented to this day. For some inexplicable reason, Jack's thoughts went to his mother who, like Elizabeth's father, died cruelly by Beckett's hand. Actually, he recalled one day in particular.

_Silvana Sparrow was a vixen in every way. Her dark hair and olive tan skin turned heads, but not as much as her elegant curves. She had a smile that was to die for and her touch was magic. At least, that's what little Jack thought of his mother. To him, she was the prettiest and strongest woman to have ever lived. She had led a struggled life to get where she was today, the wife of the Keeper of the Code, Teague Sparrow. _

_She was born into a poor family in the Peruvian mountainside and was raised a good Catholic in her small village. By the time she was fifteen, she had grown tired of village life and, despite knowing that it would break her family's heart, fled her homeland and went to the sea. It was easy for her to get around with her astounding looks and persuasive behavior. She could get any ship to take her anywhere in the world with a mere bat of her long, black eyelashes. _

_A couple of months after she left home, she came upon an intriguing man named Teague. He was the most handsome person she had ever met and he almost immediately became infatuated with the spirited young girl. Before long, they were lovers and she told him that she was expecting a child. She had thought he would dump her at the next port, as she came to learn he had done so with many other women he had gotten pregnant. Surprisingly, her fear was uncalled for and Teague did just the opposite. He truly loved Silvana and was not going to let her get away. If she was bearing his child, he would make things legitimate. By the end of the week, they were married and she became Mrs. Keeper of the Code. Teague had actually been excited about the child. He wanted a boy to carry on the family name and someday, take the position as Keeper from him. It had been in the Sparrow family for generations and he wanted to keep it that way. He would have Silvana's beauty and his cleverness. The lad would bring the world to a hault. His name would be known in all the seven seas. He'd be an infamous pirate but most of all, a good man, something he couldn't quite say for himself, having taken advantage of a girl so young. But Silvana was hardly innocent. She knew the ways of the world, and had been forced to do things one could only imagine to barter her way around. Silvana was a woman and at age sixteen, she gave birth to Jonathan Sparrow, Jack for short. _

_Despite her age, she adjusted to being a mother quite well. She loved her son more than life itself and would do just about anything to protect him. Jack, or Jackie as Teague liked to call him, showed his intelligence at an early age. He was a curious little thing, always getting his nose where it didn't belong but she admired the way he took everything in. His desire to learn was insatiable. Everything seemed to spark his interest. And he loved Silvana more than anything. She was his idol, his role model., his savior. They always spent the day together getting into all kinds of mischief. Having a child also brought out the child in Silvana and it allowed her the childhood she never really had._

_One night, she was sitting with Jackie, who was only seven at the time, on the beach of Shipwreck Island, watching the Caribbean sunset. She never regretted leaving Peru. If she hadn't, she would have never met Teague and Jack wouldn't have been born. Silvana just couldn't imagine a life without her son. The world just would be the same without Jack Sparrow. In the silence that overtook the mother and child, a small thump was heard and they turned around to see a white dove that had fallen from the sky, apparently with an injured wing. Silvana had inherited a love for animals from her father and quickly ran to tend to the poor bird, Jack following in tow._

_"The poor bird! Will he be ok, Mama?" asked Jack, worried._

_She picked up the dove and bent down so she'd be eye level with Jack. "Si, Jackie. We just have to fix his wing, yes?" she explained softly in her Spanish accent._

_Jack nodded his head and took a bandana from his pocket, handing it to his mother who accepted it with a smile, delicately tying the dove's wing. Happy with her work, she set the bird down and it spread its wings, unsuccessfully trying to gain flight. It was then that Silvana put her arm around Jack and told him the one thing that was, from that moment on, etched into his mind and his heart, always reminding him to stay strong just like her._

_"You see this dove, my child?" she asked._

_"Yes, Mama." he replied._

_"Esta paloma blanca volará algún día y usted volará también, mi pequeño gorrión." she said softly, kissing his nose. _

_He smiled. "Si, Mama." _

_"Now, we should be getting back. Your father will worry." she announced, standing back up again._

_"But what about the dove? Can we take it, too?" he looked at her with pleading eyes._

_After a moment of consideration, she replied. "Alright. Are you going to nurse him back to health, Jackie?"_

_"Yes, Mama."_

_A few days later, Jack took the dove outside and let it go, watching in awe as the white bird soared through the sky._

"This white dove will fly someday and you will fly too, my little sparrow."

_That was what she had told him and he believed her. It never occurred to him just how much he missed his mother. For a while, he blamed his father for her death, for not protecting her well enough but he knew deep down that he had only himself to blame. He remembered the hurt, betrayed look on her face when he said he was leaving to join the Royal Navy. She called him a fool and begged him not to go. He was seventeen, then. Three years later, he let the slaves go free and was branded a pirate. One month after that, Silvana Viera Sparrow was shot to death in Tortuga. She was only thirty-six years old._

_Life just wasn't the same after she died. The last time they had spoken, she had told him how proud she was of him for doing the right thing but that was the last thing he heard from her. His father had been heartbroken. For a few years, at least. He really did love Silvana, but she was gone and he was a man, so he married Lorraine Thomas, an English countess who thought the idea of sailing with a pirate was exciting and left, on her own accord, her husband and two young children. This was partly the reason why Jack resented Teague so much. He should not just have moved on right away after Silvana's death. A woman as amazing as she deserved to be remembered. To be missed. And Jack missed her every day of his life._

In all of his musings, he had lost track of time and when he finally came out of his reverie, he saw Will Turner standing right in front of him.


	5. Fortuitous Misunderstandings

**A/N: Hey all! Thank you SO MUCH for all of your inspiring reviews. They really are what keep me going. The sad truth is, I had to rewrite this whole chapter. My files were lost and... well, let's not get into the sad stuff! I really hope you guys like this! **

**A big thanks to my new beta, Michelle (Princess of the Pearl)! You're a diamond! :)**

**And yes, the dream **_**does**_** have significance… just not yet. :) And alyssums are a type of flower, for anyone who might not know. :)**

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Fortuitous Misunderstandings

"Hello, Jack." said Will, his face hard; guarded.

Jack, expecting to wake up from what he thought could be a horrible nightmare, eyed the young captain's extended hand before carefully accepting it.

He smirked to cover up his worry. "Come to see the missus, have we?" Jack said with the falsest of sarcasm in hopes that it would delay the whelp's unavoidable and unwanted reunion with his bonnie lass.

"I'd like to speak with Elizabeth. She's still here, isn't she?" he asked, in a way that repulsed Jack.

It was as though he were expecting her to be there while not really wanting her to be there. Elizabeth was sleeping and Jack would do all he could to keep it that way. If they were to speak... too much could be said, too many secrets... betrayals revealed. And the last thing he wanted was for Elizabeth to find out. She couldn't find out. They were finally getting along.

"I'm afraid I can't grant that." he said, his tone playful with a serious undertone.

"Oh. Of course you can't." He frowned, irritated with Jack's foolish behavior. "Where is she?"

_In me bed, ye bloody eunuch._ But he couldn't say that... could he? Jack smirked. Of course he could. _Pirate_. But he wouldn't if only for the sake of keeping all his limbs intact (as he preferred it) so instead, he chose to edit.

"She's in me cabin." Will's eyes widened. "No, not like that. We were out of cabins so I played the gentleman and offered her mine." He concluded with a smirk.

Will's eyes flared angrily. Just the thought of Elizabeth in Jack's cabin, in his presence, made him upset with her. Truth be told, he shouldn't even be mad at her. It wasn't her fault, none of it ever was. The one man who could be blamed for all of their troubles was right in front of him.

"She is _my_ wife, Jack. I can talk to her whenever I want to." He tried to get past Jack but as far as the _Pearl's_ captain was concerned, no whelps were getting through at this hour.

"She's sleeping. Had a long day. Whatever it is ye have to talk to her about can wait until the morning, aye?" offered Jack complacently, trying to avoid a fight at all costs.

Jack considered the possibility of him simply not allowing Will to go down or make up that she wasn't there anymore, that she was back at the island but to what point and purpose? The man was immortal. As much as he hated it, it was true. Will Turner was no longer a weak, defenseless whelp. He couldn't die. That in itself could be a dangerous weapon that, if used for the wrong reasons, would lead to more damage than a cutlass could ever cause.

"I need to speak to her." His voice was desperate.

The lad had obviously not accepted the fact that those hurtful words could have come from Elizabeth. A sharp pang of guilt hit him as he remembered that those words _hadn't_ come from Elizabeth and soon enough, all of it... everything they had shared would be over. She would realize that he had lied to her and betrayed her trust and then he'd be getting that well-deserved slap he'd expected that morning she awoke with his arm around her. _If only ye knew, luv._

The way he saw it, he had three options. Two of which would probably get him killed and one that would result in… no, the third one would get him killed as well. Confessing to Will right then and there would be the honorable thing to do and it would keep Elizabeth out of this mess. But somehow, he didn't think he'd keep his head after that. He could also, of course, flat-out deny Will's request altogether (after all, he _is_ captain, and therefore his word is law on the ship). But no, that wouldn't do either. His other alternative would be to try to kill him and pray to all gods known and unknown that somehow, by chance, it would work.

Of course, if by some miracle, he chose one of those options and didn't get killed, then the whelp would insist on getting Elizabeth himself and he didn't want them together any longer than necessary so… he decided to wake her himself.

Jack nodded once, whether at Will or his decision he was unsure, and retreated below to the cabins. Slowly and carefully, he opened the door to his cabin and found that beautiful golden-haired angel sleeping soundly, her face buried in his pillow. _Stupid, bloody, treacherous whelp!_

"Lizzie?" he nudged her softly. "Elizabeth?"

She turned her back to him and groaned in disapproval. "Five more minutes, Jack." she mumbled.

He sighed. This would not be easy. "Darlin', I'd love to let ye sleep on and what not but your dearly beloved just so happens to be on deck asking of your whereabouts and, should I not return to him with ye in less than a few minutes, I assure you he'll come charging down here, considerate as he is, and wake ye up himself."

At that, Elizabeth's eyes snapped open. "What?!" she shrieked. "Will is here? Oh no. Oh God, no. No, no, no! I'm drunk. I'm still _drunk_, aren't I? Will can't see me like this! He can't, I'm..." she trailed off, half in sleepiness and half because she was scanning the room, making certain that Will was not indeed there.

Jack laughed inwardly at her aversion to seeing that slimy fish-face impersonator. "Relax, luv. You're not drunk. Ye slept it off."

Elizabeth smiled in relief, glad that she wouldn't be making a fool of herself.

"Would ye like me to come up with you, luv?" he asked, secretly hoping that she would say yes.

Her eyes narrowed as if confused as to why he would want to do such a thing. "No, I think I can handle _my_ husband on my own, thanks very much." As soon as she saw the hurt look in his eyes, she immediately regretted the words that came out of her mouth. She hadn't meant to sound so cold and harsh. She was just very upset about having been woken up.

"Jack, I..." she began, trailing off when he stood up and walked to the door.

His eyes drooped to the floor. "I'll just be outside, then."

After he closed the door, she stood up with an exaggerated sigh and brushed her hair with her fingers, smoothing it out as much as possible. Funny how with Jack, propriety didn't matter because her knotted hair was a sign of her hard work but with Will... she always had to be nicely groomed for Will. It was just a habit, nothing more. But habits weren't the only things that slipped around Jack Sparrow.

_There. Now all I have to do is change into something more appropriate_, she thought to herself looking down at her white nightgown. _Nightgown?!_ She searched her memory for any recollection of changing but found none. She also couldn't remember how she had gotten here, to Jack's cabin. To Jack's bed! A crimson blush crept up her cheeks as she realized that Jack had been the one to dress her. But what did that mean?

Of course, she knew Jack had a soft spot for her but she never took it that seriously. Could it be that there was more to Jack's feelings than he let on? Perhaps in these small gestures of kindness was a hidden confession. A confession of… But if that was true, then she would have to figure out what she felt for him. By the increased beating of her heart in his presence, she realized it just might be in the same vain as his.

Somehow, she couldn't keep from smiling. He had cared enough to make her comfortable. She should have been completely appalled but her smile only grew wider as she changed into her pirate garb and walked outside to meet Will.

The moment she saw him, she felt her heart melt with joy. But it was a different kind of joy. More like the joy you feel when you see a friend after a long time rather than the joy of reuniting with a long lost lover… a husband. Still, she ran to him with excitement, throwing her arms around him.

"Will! I'm so very happy to see you. How have you been?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Elizabeth." He didn't want to smile but how could he not in her presence? She was beautiful and she was with _him_. Maybe she hadn't meant anything in the letter after all. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. "I... I can't believe you're here."

Her smile widened. "I've missed you so much… it's so good to see you." she said, cupping his face with one of her hands. Gently yet sternly, he removed her hand and brought it back down to her side, puzzling her. "Will?" she asked, confused.

"How can you expect me to believe any of what you say after I get that letter from you?" he asked her bluntly.

Elizabeth frowned. _Where did _that_ come from?_ She poured her heart and soul into that letter. How could he doubt her feelings?

"You don't believe what I wrote?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Will, that letter was from the heart. How can you treat it that way?" she replied, her voice breaking with emotion as she spoke.

"That's why I came here… to see if it was true. Apparently, my faith in you is more than you deserve." he said coldly.

"What are you talking about? Will, tell me what's going on right this moment." She grimaced. How could he think so lowly of her? What had she done to deserve such behavior from him?

"I'll tell you what's going on. I'm leaving." He started for his ship but stopped and turned for a brief moment, staring her down hatefully. _What? Leave?_ _But he just got here!_ How could he do this to her? Something was wrong. Dreadfully wrong."I thought we had more, Elizabeth. I don't know what's happened but please…" he trailed off, hating himself for causing the tears brimming in her lashes. "Please let me know when you come around," he said solemnly and with that, he was gone.

Elizabeth stood there, hurt, frightened and most of all, alone. In fact, she had never been more alone in her entire life. How could Will think of her that way? She didn't deserve this. He must have gone mad. Yes, it was the Dutchman. It was his duty that was getting to him. He held no fault for this. But it still hurt. She walked slowly to the stairs, not even noticing Jack standing there.

What happened to her once kind and caring husband? Had being on the Dutchman really changed him so much? Enough that he would not care about the love she had expressed in that letter? It couldn't be. This wasn't the Will she knew. This wasn't the Will anyone knew. Even to his enemies, pirates and company soldiers alike, he had never been so cold, so cruel. Then again… maybe it wasn't even his fault.

What if it was hers? What if, by leaving the chest and consequently, his heart on that island made him this way? But it shouldn't matter. She didn't leave him. She still loved him. She did… She… and even if she didn't (which she did, of course… of course!) that letter expressed her love (whether existent in the present or not) and he still chose to ignore it! How could he do something like that? _How could he? How could I… I never should have left. No everything is ruined because of me. _And then she noticed Jack. _Or maybe it's fixed?_

Jack couldn't wipe that grin off of his face. He had witnessed the entire exchange and could not believe his luck. Sure, he knew he was lucky and was always getting out of sticky situations and such but he never thought that he could ever be so lucky. They were both talking about letters, but two completely different letters. It had somehow all worked out. How or why, he had no idea. But he was elated!

And then, he was brought back down to earth and to the crying girl with the shaking figure just a few feet away from him. He had caused her this unhappiness. He was to blame for everything. Every bad thing she was feeling right now was his fault but he couldn't make himself feel guilty. It worked. Will was gone, if not for good, for a good long while and that was enough to make even the worst of situations strikingly pleasant. Still, Elizabeth was in pain and needed comfort so he sauntered over to her and placed a gentle arm around her shoulders.

"There, there, luv. Let it out." he quietly whispered soothing words into her ear.

After a few moments, the tears subsided and she had stopped shaking. Her breathing was even and he felt her put all her weight on him. There was no way she could be asleep. But she was, sleeping as soundly as when he had gone down to wake her up. How could he move and let this perfect being wake up yet again? Elizabeth moaned in approval when he cradled her in his arms and held her close, smiling as she snuggled up against him, allowing him to breathe in her refreshing scent.

Jack inevitably dozed off after a few minutes (or was it hours?) of gazing at the girl in his arms. He was awoken, however, by the rays of sunlight invading the empty space between the railings and decided it was best he took her down. Slowly but surely, he made it down to the main cabin without a scratch and gently laid her on the bed, carefully brushing a few stray hairs from her perfect porcelain face.

Unfortunately, he would have to leave her. Soon enough the crew would be waking up and he would be needed on deck. Of course, he could just ask Gibbs to take over for a little while but he thought it might be best for Elizabeth to have some time alone after what happened last night. She was probably exhausted and he would give her as many hours of sleep as she so desired.

Speaking of desires… he hoped that it would finally work. That Will would be gone and that she would wake up and realize her undying love for him and they would finally be together forever. As ridiculously naïve as the notion was, he couldn't help but realize how charming it was. But he also knew that, since the dawn of time, every man's luck runs out at some point. He could only hope that he still had some fortuitousness left in his cards.

With that, Jack scurried upstairs and began his captainly duties. Meanwhile, Elizabeth stirred in her sleep. Even in her unconscious state, she couldn't make sense of the strange dream she was having.

_It was cold. The wind blew fiercely and she shivered in response. Where was she? Why was it so cold and dark? Snow, ice… the cold, so cold. And so dark. A whirlwind of ice, of frozen snow. And then the sun came out… but there was no warmth to be found from its glinting rays. No warmth at all._

_There was, however, light and she was able to see her surroundings. A beach. _The coast of England_, she thought to herself. Why was she in England? She no longer had any ties there. Her father was dead, her mother was gone… why was she in England?_

_And then she saw the ships. Hundreds, no… Thousands of abandoned ships lay broken along the beach, the waves taking bits and pieces of them out to sea. Many ships she recognized including Captain Teague's ship, Villanueva's ship, Mistress Ching's ship, and even the Flying Dutchman. What was going on? She turned around and scanned the horizon. Just beyond the horizon, the _Black Pearl_ sailed merrily on the ocean. But it was sailing away from her?_

_Why would the _Black Pearl _leave her? Why would _Jack_ leave her? He wouldn't. This must be a dream. He wouldn't just leave her. Unless he wasn't leaving on his own accord. And why were there black alyssums all around her? _

_Suddenly, a woman's voice filled the air. "I always knew I'd see you again, Jack." _A prim and proper woman_, deduced Elizabeth. She turned around, searching for the source of the voice but the mystery woman was nowhere to be found. She heard it again. It was coming from the _Pearl.

_Elizabeth started for the water, wading in it waist-deep in hopes of getting Jack's attention. But he was too far to see her. And too far to see the wave that soon came and overtook her as she sank into the dark abyss. _

Elizabeth woke up with a start. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide and weary. _What a strange dream_, she mused. And who was that woman? Not that it mattered now. It was just a dream. But what happened last night with Will… that was not just a dream. That really happened, no matter how much she wanted to deny that it did. Now the only question was _'why'?_ What had she done to make him react in such a manner?

That was not the Will she knew, the one who melted at whatever words came out of her mouth. She had written that letter from the heart and even if now the words did not hold as true as they once did, they still deserve to be treated with respect. Of course she has feelings for Will… in a way. In a friendly way. How could he disregard that?

Once again, she recalled, Jack was the one to take care of her. To soothe her pain and make sure that she was comfortable.

_He's around more than Will is nowadays. _

_Oh, hush it! Will's obviously… confused. There must be a reason, I'm sure._

_Yes, let's just give another excuse for Will. Why don't we make him a saint while you're at it?_

_I'm not saying he's perfect… he's just dealing with things far too troublesome for anyone else to comprehend. _

_Jack's been through a great deal as well and here he is, taking care of you. _

_Yes but Jack's Jack… he's a good man._

_And now Will isn't?_

_Quiet! _

As strange as it may seem, it is easier to lose an argument with one's self than she had initially thought. Elizabeth sighed. She would soon have to make a very important decision. Well, as long as Will was gone (for a while), it would give her the opportunity she needed to get to know Jack a little better. Maybe it would help make her decision a bit easier? She highly doubted it, seeing as though choosing between your husband and another man is never an easy choice, no matter what the circumstances may be.

Speaking of Jack, where was he? _More than likely at the helm._ She should not bother him. She should not. But perhaps her presence would not bother him at all? It would certainly be a good way to counteract that horrible dream that she had.

* * *

A furrow appeared in his brows. "With Sparrow? Are you sure about that?" he asked, toying with a small globe.

"Yes, Sir. She was seen with Sparrow on the deck of the _Black Pearl_ many times in the past few days." He nodded. "We are certain she's there."

"And how long do you expect her to be there?" he asked, never meeting the other man's eyes.

"They've just charted a course for Tortuga."

"And how exactly did you come about this piece of information?"

"Our spy on the ship sent the signal. They're heading for Tortuga."

"Excellent." He smiled. "That's excellent. Thank you, Lieutenant. Bring in Miss Wright, if you will."

"Right away, Sir."

* * *

Jack stood at the helm next to Gibbs who was steering the Pearl. Jack just stood there, his eyes locked on the stairwell waiting for a certain maiden to come up.

"Somethin' on yer mind, Jack?" asked Gibbs.

He smirked. "Aye. Something like that."

"We all see the way ye look at Miss Elizabeth, ye know. It's no secret ye care 'bout 'er." Gibbs said cautiously, afraid of upsetting the captain.

But Jack was in far too great a mood to be upset. Last night, Fate had decided to give him a break. Cut him some slack. Give him a chance. And he couldn't be happier. As far as the whelp was concerned, it would take him a while to recover from last night and he wouldn't be expecting a visit from not-so-dear William any time soon.

"Aye. No secret at all." He replied, his eyes still fixed on the stairs.

Gibbs just smiled to himself. The last time he had seen Jack this happy was… well, when _she_ was around. She who must not be spoken of. He remembered a time when Jack's eyes would glow for that bloody woman. He'd followed her around like a lost puppy and look where it got him. Loveless for nearly fifteen years. But now… now he had, _apparently_, finally allowed himself to love again. Only this time, he made a good choice. Elizabeth was nothing like Alyssa. Sure, they were both from high society and all that but they were different people. Alyssa just couldn't give up her life for Jack. She also couldn't stay faithful.

Of course, it was only years after his mother's death that he uncovered her part in all of that. She had said it was before she loved him and that she was eternally sorry but Jack wouldn't hear it. She had taken part in the murder of his mother and that was unforgivable. He remembered the day he found out so clearly…

"_Get out of here." He said sternly. _

"_Jack, please listen, I…" she begged, pulling on his sleeve._

_He shrugged her off. "You killed my mother." He spoke with the voice of a child who had just had his most precious toy stolen. He just couldn't believe that this angel who had come into his life was the cause of his mother's death. _

_But it was true. He could see it in her eyes. She was nothing more than a pirate herself, whether she chose to admit it or not._

"_I won't apologize." She said coldly. "But I will tell you this… had I not helped, Jack, she would have died anyway. At first, I'll admit, it was just a job Beckett had put me to. But now…" she looked him in the eye. "Now I feel something, Jack."_

"_Aye, I reckon you'll feel something if ye stay here any longer."_ Like a cutlass through your pretty little bodice._ "Get away from here, Alyssa. Maybe you'll never know what it's like to lose someone ye love… so you'll never know how hard this was for me."_

"_Will I ever see you again?" she asked, half expecting him to say no._

_He grimaced. "I don't doubt it." She looked up at him with surprised eyes. "Bad things always seem to come back to haunt me."_

Alyssa left that day and had yet to come back into Jack's life, for which he was grateful. To Gibbs, Jack was like a son and he didn't want to see him get hurt again. Now, however, with Elizabeth, perhaps Jack would have the chance of a happy ending after all.

Finally, Elizabeth had emerged from below and a smile flitted across Jack's face. He sauntered over to her and leaned against the rail so they were face to face.

"Morning, luv. How are ye this fine morning?" he asked, a glint of affection evident in his eyes.

She smiled. "Better because of you, Jack."

"Is that so?" _See that, Jackie? Better because of ye._ Now, it was his turn to smile. Really smile. For the first time since… but he would not think _her_ name.

"I'd like to thank you for helping me yet again when you didn't have to."

"But I did have to, Lizzie." _You've made me whole again._

No, Elizabeth was nothing like that traitor. She taught him to love again… to be happy… to place his trust in someone else, fully, completely… trusting them with his very life. True, she had once abused that trust but they were past that. They were _long_ past that. She had brought love back into his heart.

The truth of the matter was that he never gave up on love. Not completely. He just didn't think that it was meant for him. He knew it existed, seeing countless happy couples in his travels but never had he felt that need to have someone else, ever since _she_ betrayed him. Until a very sunny day in Port Royal just three years ago.

He truly couldn't believe how far they'd come. Here they were, sailing together, just two pirates enjoying each other's company.

As if she read his mind, Elizabeth looked around her in wonder, thinking the same thing. Thinking on just how peaceful things were, despite the falling out she had with Will the previous night.

"You know, if someone had told me a few years ago that I'd be sailing with the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow I wouldn't have believed it." She said with a recognizable gleam in her eyes. The same gleam he saw when he was about to kiss her before Gibbs so rudely interrupted.

"Aye." He smirked. "I bet ye didn't think your life would've changed this much when ye fell off that cliff, am I right, darling?"

Hesitation flickered across her face. "Well, I didn't mean that day exactly. I was talking about before I even met you."

"You've lost me, luv." He mumbled, dark brows furrowed and curious eyes wandering over her face.

"I used to dream about you." She blurted out, quickly covering her mouth with her hands in embarrassment.

_Is that so, Lizzie._ So she used to dream about him. That was indeed a very intriguing notion. And before they met? Even more intriguing.

"Well, I had always found pirates fascinating and one day my mother gave me a book… about you. I remember when I was twelve, thirteen years old, I thought you were so handsome." She looked up as if recalling her childhood memories. "I read that book every night before I went to bed in hopes that I could somehow trick my mind into dreaming of you. Most of the time it worked but when it didn't, I would wake up quite cranky, I assure you. When I told Will about those dreams, he called me foolish. Said that a pirate like _you_ could _never_ fall for a girl like _me_. That pirates didn't have _feelings_, didn't have hearts. Little did he know at the time, he was one himself. As was I. I stopped talking to him, you know. For weeks at a time, I believe, until my birthday came around and he brought me a picture of you. I still have that picture, you know. It was a sketch but the artist did a good job. When he gave it to me, he asked me if I believed I would ever meet you and I said 'I don't know, I hope so' and he asked me why. I said because I wanted to be your _significant_ _other_, if you will. That's why when you two first met he was so coarse towards you. He knew of my… crush on you and didn't want to lose me to a pirate."

She met his eyes. "Was he right?" she asked meekly.

"About what, luv?" he replied, still dazed by her confession.

"A pirate like you never falling for someone like me?" she clarified.

"Dear William said that to ye when you were a child, aye?" She nodded. He leaned in closer to her and whispered hotly in her ear. "Well, you're a pirate now, Lizzie, so as far as I'm concerned, those words hold no truth anymore." With that, he walked away leaving a very stunned and confused Elizabeth alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Alyssa sat on the loveseat when Mr. Green called her into Lord Andrew's study.

"Ah, Miss Wright." He stood to greet her, kissing her hand.

"Lord Stanley. To what do I owe this pleasure?" she inquired.

"It seems the Company still has use for you, my dear. With my cousin dead, we're going to need all the help we can get wiping out this vicious pirate scum." He grimaced at the word pirate and Alyssa could have sworn she heard a hint of fear in his otherwise steady voice.

She walked to his desk and sat down in one of the available chairs. "The last time I tried to help your cousin it got me stranded in a pirate port. Why should I do anything for you now?"

"Because, Miss Wright, it has to do with Jack Sparrow and his new… lover."

This caught Alyssa's attention. Jack? A new lover? It couldn't be. He would never trust someone else after she had betrayed him. He couldn't. She had left a mark in his life and he wouldn't move on to some tramp. Not after what he thought he had with her.

"I'm sure you know this already, _Sir,_ that Jack runs around with women of questionable reputation. What makes you think this one is special?" she asked, jealousy creeping into her voice.

"Well, this one happens to be the former Elizabeth Swann."

Her eyes widened. "The governor's daughter? Why would she be sailing around with him?"

"We heard from a reasonable source that she is the new Pirate King." He scoffed at that. "She's the one who led the attack against Cutler Beckett."

"And what do you propose I do?"

Andrew smiled. "We need you to find her. They're heading for Tortuga and we will arrange a means for you to get there in a timely fashion. Run into them there, get them alone, the girl especially. Make sure Sparrow isn't anywhere close by while we take her, arrest her for piracy or something or other." He frowned at Alyssa's look of hesitation.

A thought crossed her mind. "Why do you need Miss Swann?"

"It's Mrs. Turner, now, actually. And her husband is the Captain of the Flying Dutchman, the only reason we lost that battle. We need her for leverage so we can get Turner to surrender his ship and his rule over the ocean. The boy will do what it takes to get her back." Now, it was his turn to hesitate. "I can't guarantee Mrs. Turner's safety… you weren't friends with her, were you?"

Jack with a married woman? This just got more and more strange. She supposed she would just ask him when she arrived in Tortuga. _My, I haven't been there in quite a while._ Alyssa pouted.

"Miss Wright?"

"No. I don't care what you do with the girl, but what about Jack?" she asked.

Lord Stanley shrugged his shoulders. "What about him?"

"I expect to get something out of this too, you know." Alyssa announced coyly.

"What is it you want?" She smiled. "Name your terms."

"Jack. Freed of all of his crimes. Clemency, if you will, and the right to sail wherever he pleases."

"I take it you would accompany him, then?" She nodded. "And what makes you think he will give up his little king so easily, hm?"

"Lord Stanley, I've known Jack far longer than that little trollop. It should be no problem to sway his allegiances." She spoke confidently.

"We can have you out of here by tomorrow. Will you be ready?"

A wicked smile graced her lips. "Yes. I'll be there."


	6. Truthful Confessions

**A/N: WOW! I know… another update from me? Shocking, isn't it?! Well, let's just say my muse has returned! Wish me luck that it doesn't run away again… :) HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!**

**A HUGE, AMAZING thank you to my beta, Michelle (Princess of the Pearl). You're INCREDIBLE!**

**Spoiler: Don't hate me for the cliffie! ;) **

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

Truthful Confessions 

**

* * *

**

Will never thought that he would ever feel so callous towards Elizabeth.

It never, not once, crossed his mind that maybe they weren't meant to be. Apparently, it had crossed _her_ mind quite a bit. This must have been a long time coming… and he never even noticed it.

He was such a fool. He could so easily spot the betrayal of others but not the most obvious one. What had gone wrong? When had they started to diverge from one another? When had their plans, their dreams changed course and led them in different directions? Was it when Beckett interrupted their would-be wedding? Or perhaps it was when she was on the Black Pearl with Jack. Or when he was trying to save his father. Or when she killed _him_. She had been so upset… How could he not have noticed?

He glanced at his father who was minding the helm. As much as he hated to admit it, his quest to free his father certainly played an important role in Elizabeth's change of heart. But he couldn't blame "Bootstrap".

And the worst part was, he didn't even know who to blame.

Blame her? No, it wasn't right. It couldn't be her fault.

Blame himself?...

Maybe he was on to something. Perhaps he should have been the one to notice it and bring it up. How could he not have seen it coming? It seemed so simple, now. He was too blinded by his love for her to see the darkness looming on the horizon of their relationship that he cherished so much. Just like he had always cherished her. And he'd never leave her or abandon her or…

The weight of his realization hit him hard. But he had left her before. On that island. All alone without any company and nothing to hold onto except the foolish hope that he would return and they would be together. It seemed as though she did not hope for the same things he did… at all… anymore.

And so, he decided to blame love itself. Too many people got hurt when they put their hearts on the line. Of course, his was on the line metaphorically _and_ literally, unlike most other lovebirds. Did she even care about him?

Perhaps Jack was right. He shuddered at the thought. Maybe she wasn't the Elizabeth he knew anymore. Maybe she wasn't as innocent or as glorious or as wonderful, charming, loving, beautiful… No. She would always be beautiful. His beautiful, beautiful Elizabeth. Of course she had made it perfectly clear that she no longer wished to be his. A truly tragic notion, indeed.

He knew the right thing to do was let her go. It was the right thing to do, even though he desperately did not want to. How could he give up the most precious treasure he had ever known? For as long as he could remember, plus or minus a few years, perhaps, Elizabeth had always been in his life. First, as an acquaintance… then a casual friend… then a true confidant. And then… something much, much more than that. A loving fiancée, an adoring wife… or at least, that's what he had thought. Thought? Hoped? The signs of her dwindling love were there right in front of him and he chose not to see it. He even forgave her for that preposterous kiss. The question was… could he forgive her now?

Moreover, did he want her to forgive her?

…and did she _want_ to be forgiven…?

* * *

The sun trickled below the horizon as Jack and Elizabeth sat in the crow's nest, simply enjoying each other's company.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" observed Elizabeth, mesmerized by the sunset before her.

The reflection of the sun over the water was a spectacular sight, Jack had to agree, but looking at the fiery lass next to him was far more enjoyable. For the first time, he felt like he really saw her. _All_ of her.

It seemed like he was looking at her for the first time. The way her eyes shone as she looked beyond the horizon. He would do anything to see that glint of excitement in her eyes. It was as though it belonged there and she was incomplete without it. Strangely enough, he never saw it when she was with the whelp. Then again, perhaps the reason he was seeing her better was because she wasn't pretending to be someone that she wasn't. She didn't have any pretexts by which to live by. There was no one pressuring her into acting a certain way and for that, he was grateful because all that was left was… Lizzie. Simple, sweet, beautiful Lizzie.

Her beauty (of course he had noticed she was beautiful before, but one never gets too tired from observing these seemingly minute details) seemed to grow each day he spent with her. He had been given the opportunity to watch her transform from a girl to a woman… from a lady to a pirate. But now, with the threat of any unwelcome whelps far in the distance, he had time to just _look_ at her.

And that's when it hit him.

Who really _was_ Elizabeth Swann? (He used Swann, of course, because after that little mix-up yesterday and the previously noted vicious content of that letter, he was almost certain that Will would not want his name anywhere near hers, which was good because if his name wasn't near hers, then _he_ couldn't be near her and that was precisely what he had been fighting for in the first place!)

Who was she? What were her interests, her goals? What was her childhood like? Who did she admire, disdain, love, hate, play with, run to for comfort? He was surprised how comfortable he felt around her without knowing these things. Even more surprised at the fact that, although he was comfortable enough not knowing them, he had this inexplicable urge to find them out.

Would she tell him? _No reason not to_, he thought thanking whatever power had kept his secret from being discovered.

_Secret? _Is that what he was calling it now? Who was he kidding? It was a blatant out-right lie. He was lying to her, cruelly, and yet he still wished to know the truth about_ her_.

Elizabeth turned to face him. It appeared that she was not aware of his constant gaze on her but he could not be certain. A spark of mischief alighted in her eyes, he noticed, and she began to smile at him. It wasn't a smile with an ulterior motive, though. He would have seen that. It was just… a smile. A simple gesture to show that merely his presence could make her happy, bring her joy. And at that, he smiled back. But something in her eyes changed. They weren't amused as they had been just moments ago and Jack wondered what he'd done to change her mood so quickly.

But before he had the chance to ask her, she captured his mouth in an ardent kiss _**(YAY!)**_, nearly knocking him off the crow's nest. The only way to find out what had sparked this was to ask but asking would require removing her lovely lips from his, so he'd keep the situation as it was for the time being. Whatever her reason, he was sure it was good, for she was kissing him… willingly… consciously… _She_ was kissing _him!_

His hand cupped her cheek and she smiled into the kiss. He couldn't bloody believe it. Kissing him was making her happy? _Oh well, best not to dwell trivial thoughts! _Their lips had met with a tender slowness, like that of two adolescents sharing their first kiss, soft and innocent. But soon grew in fervor. After a few moments, it became downright needy as the passion in the atmosphere intensified. Jack cupped her face and suppressed his own smile as she opened her mouth, granting him much-wanted entrance. But it ended too soon like a shooting star dashing through the sky… one moment of pure bliss and then it was gone.

When Elizabeth pulled back, she looked away shyly, clearly embarrassed by her actions. Jack, however, wanted nothing more than to repeat said action but seeing _her_ reaction hampered his own desires. For the time being, anyway.

"Luv?" he asked, prompting her to turn to face him.

A curious laugh escaped her lips. "You know, I was going to apologize for that… but by the look on your face… I can see an apology isn't necessary."

"You've nothin' to apologize for, Lizzie." He whispered in a strange, tender voice. "If anyone, it's me who should apologize."

Shock played out on her face as she took in the meaning of his words. "No, Jack. I don't want you to be sorry." She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and holding his face with her hands. "I'm certainly not." She said softly, and he was almost positive that he hadn't heard an ounce of regret in her statement.

"So ye mean to tell me that ye kissed me because it's what you wanted to do, just because ye wanted it?" he inquired, the thought making his chest tighten nervously. Both of her possible answers made him feel anxious and tense.

"_You long to do what you want to do because you want it."_

"No." she uttered decidedly, waiting apprehensively for his reaction. "I kissed you because… because I…" And she was going to say it. She really was. And she would have… had it not been for the image of his almost bare chest reminding her of an entirely different kind of chest. The kind that also contained a heart… but an entirely different heart…

…a heart that required her faithfulness to survive… a heart that required her loyalty for its owner to ever be free. But if she couldn't say it out loud, she would think it. Over and over. _I love you, Jack. I love you, all of you, all that you are. _

She could think it but she wouldn't say it. As true as it already was inside of her, saying it would make it real. Saying it would make it concrete and, should he feel the same way, certain things could take place that, while she might want them to, would ruin everything she ever worked for. Will may not seem to love her but that doesn't mean she was ready to feed him to the sharks. She would keep her promise, even if he didn't care.

But was that fair? Was it really _fair_ to Jack? She knew it wasn't but she still kissed him anyway. For her own selfish reasons.

"Ye what, Lizzie?" he insisted, not wanting to show his absolute disappointment that she did not follow through with what she had been about to say… or at least, what he _thought_ she was about to say.

"I have to go, Jack. It's getting late and it's really not very proper for us to be…"

But he cut her off. "For us to what? Sit here and watch the sun go down? Oh yes, that's terribly inappropriate." He crossed his arms like an angry child. "And _you're_ the one who kissed _me_, Lizzie."

"Yes, I am aware of that, thank you. And now I'd like to retire to my quarters," she said, never meeting his eyes.

"Ye mean _my_ quarters?" he replied, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

Finally, Elizabeth had enough. "Look here, Jack. I don't know what you think you're doing or what it is you're trying to do, but it has to stop." Her voice quivered but the words kept coming out. If she didn't say them now, she would say those three little words that would change everything. "I… I am a married woman, Jack." Oh, she loved saying his name. _Jack_… "And married women aren't supposed to do these things."

Now that was equivalent to a slap in the face from Jack's point of view. Hadn't she just been kissing him with the ardent passion of an unhindered lover? Did she not initiate the kiss in the first place? And now here she was, Little Miss King, scolding him, _blaming_ him for the kiss itself. _Ye should know better than to offer what ye can't give, luv._ He couldn't believe how stubborn she was! And hypocritical, too! Was that just a character trait of hers he had initially missed?

"These things?" he muttered, leaning in close to her, taking in her scent. "It seemed to me, a moment ago, that you were enjoying these so-called things you aren't supposed to do." Sweet, like strawberries but salty and savory like the sea. A perfect combination. He leaned in, closer still.

"Well, I…" He caught her off guard. She hadn't expected him to be so bold. "Yes, these things we're doing." She said, answering his previous question. "They're wrong and dishonest and…" she trailed off. She couldn't think straight, not when he was this close to her and… and… why was he looking at her like that?!

She was not his. Why did he have a possessive look in his eyes? As if he owned her... As if he owned her soul. He didn't and he had no right to think he did. Then why was that look in his eyes making her melt?

She very much wanted to find an answer to that question but her thoughts were silenced (and completely insignificant compared to where her attention was otherwise needed) by his roughly soft lips.

This time, he was the one to end it because, apparently, dear Elizabeth had forgotten about the necessity of breathing and tried to prolong the kiss for as long as possible.

"See, luv? Wrong's a matter of perspective," he spoke, his breath on her face, invigorating her with every word. "To some, this might be wrong… but look me in the eye and tell me it doesn't feel right."

_Jack Sparrow, what have you done to me? Bloody, stupid pirate. Pillaging and plundering? I'll show you pillaging and plundering… how you've pillaged and plundered my heart._ Speaking of hearts…

"_Will you keep it safe?"_

"_Yes."_

_I'll keep it safe, Will. I'll keep your heart safe. But as for mine… I think it's been stolen. And I don't know if I can get it back. _

A single tear ran down her cheek. This was wrong. And she knew it was wrong. And even though he had no sense of honor or decency, he knew it was wrong too. But none of it mattered. Not one damn thing mattered anymore. Except Jack.

One of the many things that worried her was if he would tire of her. Jack was famous for his dealings with the female kind and she knew that he didn't get attached to them, as it were. She didn't want to become just another girl, a name he could add to his lists of conquests. She scoffed inwardly. He was probably dying to get the pirate king on that list for various reasons, many of them most likely dishonorable. But _maybe_ not all of them…

Still. Could she afford to gamble on these odds? Could she give up everything for a man she knew would never settle down with her? Naturally, she had doubts. He could leave her, break her heart… so many things could happen. This was Jack Sparrow (Captain!) she was talking about. It wasn't just anyone. It wasn't simple like it should be. Like she would like it to be.

But that look in his eyes… She didn't know whether to trust it or fear it and when he leaned in for another kiss, she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"So when do we arrive in Tortuga?" she asked with feigned excitement.

His smile faltered. "About three… four days. You know…" he paused, "…a lot can happen in a few days, Lizbeth."

She plastered a frown on her face. "Yes. But not if I don't want them to."

With one last look at Jack, she expertly began climbing down the crow's nest as fast as she possibly could. Once she reached the bottom, she hurried down the stairs and made her way to his quarters.

Jack just sat there, bewildered by her unknown confession. She may not have said anything that would prove her love for him but it's not always in words that declarations of love are found. It's in kisses and in looks, gestures. All of which she exhibited. And she knew it. And he knew she knew it.

The lass knew she cared about him, of that he was sure. A clever woman, indeed. Denying everything all for the sake of a stupid promise that followed an even more stupid marriage.

On that note, he climbed back down to the deck and retreated to his cabin, greeted by a very eager, very divulging Elizabeth.

* * *

Alyssa Wright was a smart woman. She knew how to manipulate others around her and get her way the vast majority of the time.

There had been only one exception throughout her entire life: Jack Sparrow.

He was a complex person, she was aware of that. And he probably still despised her for her involvement in his mother's death. She never knew that she'd fall in love with him. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was looking forward to seeing him again. Even if he looked at her with disdain at first, it would be alright because soon enough that pirate-royalty-wannabe Swann girl would be out of the way and she would be free to re-enter his life.

If he accepted her, that is.

She had no reason to believe he wouldn't, however. Even after all these years, she had still been able to maintain the beauty she was once prized for. At the not-so-tender age of twenty-nine, she was far more mature than that new brat of his could ever be. And she knew that he would see that. Jack was the type of man who needed a _woman_, not a girl. Someone who knew how to give him what he wanted. She was that woman for him and, had he never found out about her involvement in that murder, they would be together right now. She had no doubts about that.

It had been a long time since she had been on a ship and the rocking of it kept her awake. So instead of dreaming, she simply imagined her new life with Jack and how he would soon be there with her to ease her into sleep. They were only a few days from Tortuga, after all. She would see him soon enough. She could only hope that her deception was good enough to convince him… otherwise, how else was she going to get him to believe that she loved him more than that girl?

She would have to apologize. The whole ordeal with his mother happened years ago, maybe he would have moved past it. But he was right. She didn't know what it was like to lose someone you loved. Someone that was dear to you. Her parents had never been around when she was a child… she didn't know a mother's love the way Jack did. So, when Beckett sought to have them killed after supposedly telling them false information on the whereabouts of someone or another in order to protect them, she didn't really shed that many tears…

She was a cold, stoic woman and she knew it. It was the only way to get by with what she did.

And she had paid the price: losing Jack.

* * *

A pair of soft, rose petal lips met his when he walked into his cabin, leaving him more than surprised.

She pulled him flush to her and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He tried to pull back, at first, being the good man that he was, but she would have none of it. She made sure that he would stay put right where he was.

When the kiss finally ended, their chests were heaving, each breath a welcome relief.

"What inspired this act of kindness, your majesty?" he asked with bated breath.

Elizabeth tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, breathing heavily. "I want it. I want this." She whispered fervently, grasping the lapels of his coat to the point where her knuckles had whitened. "You were right… about everything! It's not a game anymore, Jack. It's real. What I feel… I didn't want to say anything before because I was afraid." She started to cry, simple tears rolling down her cheeks at first before quickly turning to full blown sobbing. She buried her face into his chest, seeking comfort. "I was afraid of what would happen to Will… and… and of you…"

He grimaced at this. She was afraid of him? "Ye don't have to be scared of me, luv." He mumbled into her golden hair.

"I'm afraid you'll leave me!" she cried, another broken sob escaping her lips. "A week, a month, a year… who's to say you won't get tired of me? I don't want to lose you, Jack. I can't." Her voice grew more and more frantic.

He recoiled from her, hurt flashing evidently in his usually amused eyes. How could she doubt him so much? Of course he knew about his past but it wasn't like hers was clean, either. First James Norrington, then Will. Both men had been royally dumped by her piratical majesty. It hurt him that she lacked that much faith in his loyalty. Did she honestly believe that he would get his feel of her and then just up and leave? That he was capable of such a thing?... But she couldn't. He wouldn't. She's had no reason for the thought to even cross her mind! The urge to reassure her coursed through him with immense power.

"Lizzie, listen to me, darling. I would never, _ever_ leave ye. Not ever. Do you understand? I'd have no reason to." Jack closed his eyes, frustrated with himself for not being able to get this out like he'd hoped. He didn't want to say those three words, to put his heart, his entire being in her hands, no matter if he felt them or not. Yes, he trusted her, but he didn't know what he would do if she were to crush him, the way _she_ had. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. I…" Just as he was about to say it, she pulled back and kissed him again. _Impeccable timing, you've got, luv. We'd better work on it, aye?_

"Do you mean it?" asked Elizabeth, her big, round eyes staring back at him, boring into his very soul.

"Aye, luv." He nodded his head briefly. "I do mean it."

"Thank you." She sighed and he pulled her into an embrace, cradling her head in his arms.

"Of course, Lizzie. Now let's get ye to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow, aye?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't want to talk. Talking complicates things." She yawned and settled herself into the bed, pulling Jack down with her and nestling her head in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Lizbeth. Sweet dreams, darling."

"Goodnight, Jack… I love you."

* * *

Alyssa, having grown tired and frustrated from reminiscing about the good times she and Jack used to have, sat up in bed with a huff. She was trying to think of a way to make Jack forgive her for the whole endeavor with his mother. It was then that she came to a staggering conclusion.

He had never allowed her the chance to deny her involvement. It wasn't as though she had directly taken Silvana Sparrow's life. There was a chance that he would take her back if he knew that she didn't take the shot. But would it make a difference? Jack had still lost his mother. She remembered it like it was yesterday. Her first assignment…

_Silvana Sparrow walked in the streets of Tortuga. She was so proud of her son for doing the right thing and freeing all those slaves__. Although… When__ he had told her of his intentions to join the Royal Navy, she nearly had a heart attack! No son of hers would work for those dogs only to be treated worse than one. But Jack had risen in the ranks __and__ in Beckett's eyes, and he quickly became one of their best._

_That was why his orders were to transport the cargo. Beckett trusted Jack to carry out the job. _

_Little did he know, he was dealing with the soon to be notorious pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, who took orders from no one. Especially treacherous white wig-wearing turncoats with willowy wool uniforms. She had gone to Tortuga in hopes of finding her son. Last she had heard, Jack had made port to resupply but was going to leave soon due to the navy's pursuit of him. She was walking to the inn he was reportedly staying at when she crossed paths with a beautiful, dark brown haired girl. _

_The girl eyed Silvana up and down and walked over to her carefully. _

"_Excuse me, Mrs. Sparrow?" asked Alyssa._

_Silvana's eyes widened. "You know me?"_

_Alyssa smiled warmly but it did not match her eyes. "Yes. I know your son, Jack."_

_Her eyes shined with recognition. "My son? Have you heard from him?"_

"_No, not for a few months __now. But there is someone here to see you." She said ominously, causing Silvana to shudder involuntarily._

"_Who are you?" she asked, not a trace of suspicion in her sweet voice._

"_That's not important, Mrs. Sparrow." She started to walk away but turned around for a brief second. "I'm very sorry." She said, her voice nonchalant. "I'll tell Jack you said hello."_

_In the few moments that Silvana stood there, stupefied at this mysterious __girl, two East India Trading Company soldiers came up from behind her and by the time she was fully able to__ acknowledge them, it was too late._

Alyssa half-smiled at the memory. Silvana had died an easy death. Much easier than what would happen to Jack if he were ever caught. And much better than whatever fate awaited Elizabeth Swann. Her smile turned into a scowl. That stupid girl would soon be gone. She was foolish for ever thinking she could steal Jack Sparrow's heart…

* * *

Lord Stanley lay awake, alone with his haunting thoughts. She had come like the wind. Strong and daring. A wonderful young lady with a fire in her heart and an unhindered spirit. A girl like her would do wonders in her life, he had been sure of that. He didn't know that she would grow to be corrupted by pirates…

She had seen so much bloodshed. He met her when she had moved into the governor's mansion. She was kind and polite and they had become good friends. He'd hoped to marry her one day and then Norrington just had to go and propose to her before he could.

And then his life changed forever. That night, Elizabeth had been kidnapped by pirates and he'd wanted to save her but Norrington didn't let him accompany the rescue party. James knew of his fondness for the governor's daughter and didn't want anybody getting in the way of his quest for her hand in marriage. This was just a plan, as ridiculous and foolish as it might sound, to turn back time.

All he wanted was the opportunity… a chance to show her how loving he would be to her.

First Norrington, then Turner, and now Sparrow.

He wanted to make her forget those names. To forget their faces. To his superiors, he was carrying out this mission as a means to rid the world of Turner and the powers of the Flying Dutchman, but it was just a cover-up. His main goal was to win Elizabeth's heart. Apparently, she did not care too much for her husband (he cringed at the word), seeing as how she was cheating on him with Sparrow and he had a feeling that she was not too fond of the man, seeing how she once killed him and all. So, it shouldn't be that difficult to coerce her into being with him.

Should he fail in winning her heart, which seemed unlikely from his warped perspective, there were other ways to make her his and he would resort to them if need be. It would not have to happen right away. She would grow to love him, in time. He was sure that with the proper attitude, he could get her to see that it was a life with him or the gallows for her. She really didn't have any other choice. If she refuses him, it wouldn't take much to make her change her mind. A simple threat to Sparrow's life should do the trick. But hopefully, he wouldn't have to resort to that. He would do it all, anything, if need be, but he'd rather she fell in love with him by her own accord.

And why shouldn't she?

After all, he was the better choice. He was her age, kind, loyal, respectful, and held a high position. He could give her a comfortable and steady life. Isn't that what every woman wanted? The house and the children and the doting husband? A picture perfect life. Surely that would be more appealing than the thought of sailing the ocean. All that danger and salt had to bother her in some way or another. No normal woman, especially one of her stature, would find that sort of life enjoyable. It was a phase, most likely. She was just getting it out of her system.

Lord Stanley smiled at the thought of coming home to that stunning woman every night. The life he pictured for them was charming. And it was just a few key decisions away.

* * *

Once his breath had turned even, Elizabeth finally stopped faking her slumber and opened her eyes, waiting a moment for them to adjust to the light (or lack thereof).

Once she was able to make out the faint shape of Jack's face, she grinned. She admired his facial features. Jack truly was a handsome man. It made her wonder why she never noticed it before. Or maybe she had but was too preoccupied with other things, particularly other people, to notice. But _oh_… she noticed now.

And not just on the outside. He was a wonderful person on the inside, too, no matter how he might try to hide it. His personality was golden and she had a feeling he was a very deep person. But it bothered her that she didn't know that much about him, about his personal history, the history one couldn't get from books or wanted posters.

Sure, he had told her about his mother, but that was the extent of her knowledge. She didn't know anything about_ him_. Not Jack the pirate or Jack the captain, but Jack the person. What was he _really_ like when there were no hidden motives? What was he like before he ever knew betrayal?

Her curiosity got the best of her. His cabin was right there and she could just take a peek. It wouldn't hurt… would it?

Carefully, she slipped out of bed and made her way into the main cabin, making sure to shut the door to his sleeping quarters quietly.

Luckily, the candles were still lit so she had ample light in the room. She thought of where to begin and decided to casually look through his desk. Surely he had something of interest. For some reason, Elizabeth felt that he would never divulge his inner secrets to others so there must be something that could give her better insight, since he failed to provide that for her. She opened the drawer and a brown, leather-bound book caught her attention, the letters _J.S._ inscribed delicately on the front cover.

With a slightly shaky hand, she unwrapped the string keeping it closed and turned to the first page. Her breath caught at what she saw.

_To my darling son, Jack. _

_May you fly like the true Sparrow that you are. I am so proud of you._

_Love,_

_Mama _

But it wasn't the loving inscription that grabbed her attention. No, it was the drawing of a woman. A beautiful, astounding woman. _It must be his mother_, she thought. But then why were the other pictures of her scribbled out? Elizabeth was confused, to say the least. Did Jack have any reason to ruin drawings of his mother? Just another sign of how little she knew him.

She turned the page and noticed the lack of a date on any of the pages. _That's interesting. You'd think a captain would keep accurate logs._ Her eyes skimmed down until they landed on a name. Alyssa. The name struck Elizabeth as odd. How come she had never heard of her before? And why did she feel a profound wave of jealousy hit her just at the thought of Jack caring for another woman? Apparently caring enough to include her name in his journal. But perhaps she was just overreacting. Maybe it was his sister? Did he even _have_ a sister? Or maybe a friend… Just a lady friend. Yes, that was it. Just a friend. Nothing more. Definitely not. Definitely just a friend. An acquaintance, even. Yes. Just someone he knew and happened to mention on just one page. Just one page of his entire journal. And the next page… and the next. Alright, maybe it was more than a friend. A _good_ friend.

She turned the page. Aly, Aly, Aly. It bothered her. It bothered her profoundly. Frustrated, she turned to the last page. Alyssa.

Perhaps he had written this before he ever met Elizabeth. Maybe it was just someone that he used to know and care about but did not have any ties to anymore. However, the lack of dates in this blasted journal hampered her means of checking. Then again, it was possible that she was someone he still knew. It was certainly possible, but not probable. Completely out of the question. Jack would never treat someone the way he treated her with such kindness and respect. She was the only one… wasn't she?

She wanted to believe that. She had to believe it. She loved him and would not let a stupid memory take him away. And the desk was still full of undiscovered facets of Jack Sparrow…

* * *

Jack awoke to the sudden coldness that enveloped him and turned to pull Lizzie, his warmth, but was surprised when she wasn't there.

_Ah, so me Lizzie's a sleepwalker, aye?_

He laughed to himself silently and crept off of his bed and noiselessly opened the door to the main cabin, smiling when he saw Elizabeth sitting in his chair, her face deep in thought. It was then that he saw what she was holding: the journal. _His_ journal, to be exact. What would she want with that?

And then he remembered. It was full of Aly. Aly this, Aly that. This disturbed him greatly. Not just the memories, but the fact that Lizzie was looking through those memories… his _private_ memories.

Elizabeth looked up when she heard him exhale sharply and put on an innocent face.

"What're you doing, luv?" he asked, a haunted look in his eyes.

She closed her eyes. She had been caught red-handed. "I was just…"

Elizabeth had planned on fabricating a lie. Something about wanting paper to write a letter to someone but Jack was no fool. He would know there was no one she would have to write a letter to other than Will and she decidedly did not want him thinking that she wanted any communication with him at the moment. The reason she even decided to come looking for his past was to find out the truth. How could she deny Jack the only thing that she herself sought? And then there was the curios question of that girl…

She opened her eyes and looked at him dejectedly. "Who's Alyssa?"


	7. Forgiveness and Love You's

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who left a review, they make my day! After months (possibly a year?) of hiatus, JE is back!**

**Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.**

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* * *

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Jack paled instantly. He had hoped that the woman of his past and the woman of his present (and hopefully future) would never cross paths. Why did she have to go and look through his journal? Why? He narrowed his eyes at the drawing of Alyssa. He hadn't seen those in years. Not since he met Elizabeth. He hadn't wanted to. Elizabeth was the only face stuck in his mind.

Funny how he was able to forgive her so easily. Lizzie could kill him as many times as she wanted because he knew that she was sorry. But when Alyssa kissed his mother… she hadn't shown any remorse at all. The little guilt she did project was merely an act, a set up. She didn't care about anyone. That was why he never forgave her.

He mentally scolded himself. How could he even try to compare Elizabeth to that evil, maniacal woman? They were nothing alike. One was an angel and the other was a demon. One had his heart and the other had broken it. But Elizabeth had broken his trust.

"What do ye think you're doing?" he asked her, crossing his arms.

Elizabeth frowned. "I was just…"

"Oh, I know what you were _just_." he interrupted. "How could ye go snooping about me things? And while I'm sleeping, at that."

"Jack, I think you're overreacting. And I _wasn't_ snooping. Aren't you the one who brought forth my tendency towards curiosity? It'd be mighty hypocritical for you to reprimand me for it." She replied indignantly to hide her nervousness.

"Well, if ye were curious, you could just bloody ask me! Not do the dishonest thing and look for yourself." He countered, somewhere in the back of his mind thinking that perhaps she was right and he was blowing the whole situation out of proportion.

Her eyes narrowed. "Dishonest? _Dishonest_? Who are _you_ to tell _me_ about dishonesty? You're a pirate!" she shouted. "Oh yes, you're Captain Jack Sparrow." She said in a mocking voice. "Well you know what? If Captain Jack Sparrow can be dishonest then so can the Pirate King." She huffed.

"Luv… I'm only going to say this once." He paused and walked to her, taking the journal from her hands. "Stay away from me things. Savvy?" he said and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Elizabeth stood there in awe. They had just had a real fight. They weren't bickering, or taunting each other like usual. They had had an all out fight and she found she did not like it one bit. How could she have let this happen? She had finally gotten Jack to forgive her and then… then she made him even angrier.

He shouldn't even be angry over something so trivial but… he was Jack and he was quite guarded about his personal life. Which is why she decided to look in the first place!

Yes, she could have asked him but would he have even told her? She highly doubted it. He mostly kept to himself about his life. And there had to be a reason for it. No one she had ever met, perhaps aside from Norrington, kept so much of themselves and who they were a secret. If she couldn't get anything out of Jack, then who could?

It was true she invaded his privacy but it wasn't out of malice or spite. And for him to storm out like that! How… how cowardly of him! Elizabeth sighed. _She_ was the coward.

She was the one who couldn't even take a chance on the man she loved (yes, _loved_) and tell him her feelings because she was still so damn caught up in her messed up marriage. Will didn't want her, as it seemed, so why did she even care? Maybe because his heart, his fate depended on her being faithful. But what if _her_ heart was hurting? Should she listen to hers and take Jack as a lover or ignore its pleas and please Will instead?

As if Jack would even take her anymore after what she had just done.

_God, I'm just so bloody stupid…_

And at that exact moment, Jack was telling himself the same thing. He had gone to the deck and stood by the railing, overlooking the moonlit ocean. All she did was read his journal.

That. Was. It. Nothing else, just the simple reading of a simple journal.

True, she had found out about the one person he never wished to speak of again but she was right. Curious as a cat, she was, that Elizabeth Swann. He couldn't stay mad at her. He couldn't even get mad at her.

And she was also right about him. He was a pirate. And he had been dishonest on many occasions. One of those illustrious occasions, more recently, in which he forged a letter in her name basically to her undead (thanks to him) husband basically telling him to go to hell. He wanted to talk about dishonesty? _He_ was dishonest. And he was being dishonest right now by letting her think that _she_ had done something wrong and that he was a saint.

She could never do anything wrong. She was his Lizzie, the brightest star in the night sky.

With no hesitation, Jack started for his cabin with a purpose in mind. He was going to… apologize. At first, he was going to tell her the truth about the letter but he just wasn't ready for that yet. He wasn't sure he'd ever be ready for that. That letter, those words scribbled in a hopeless attempt at love, was what held him together. As long as she was unaware of his dishonest betrayal, she would still regard him with that same sense of admiration that always tugged at his heart strings. And so long as the whereabouts of the real letter, the one that she had written and was intended to be given to Will remained a secret, his chance at love still existed.

Once he reached his cabin, he slowly knocked on the door (which wasn't really necessary because it _was_ his cabin). Elizabeth opened the door but Jack's eyes were focused on the floor, thinking about what he was going to say to her.

"Jack?" Elizabeth's voice shook him out of his reverie. "Are you alright?"

He sighed. "I'm fine, luv, just… memories. Some very bad memories associated with… your little discovery.."

Elizabeth's eyes wandered along the room, not once meeting his. "I'm sorry."

"What?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

"I'm sorry I read your journal without permission, I just… it's just that I wanted to find out more…" she paused, shaking her head in disbelief at what she was about to say. "I just wanted to find out more about the man I… the man I love." She finished in a whisper.

It was Jack's turn to be surprised. "Luv?"

"I know we've known each other for a few years now but I wanted to know more." She frowned. "It's not like we really know each other, Jack. You were sleeping, I didn't want to bother you. I didn't think I'd come across this, though."

"This being Alyssa." He said, choking out her name.

Elizabeth nodded. "Who was she? It seems like you loved her a lot. She's everywhere in here."

He wasn't sure but he thought he could pick up a hint of jealousy in Elizabeth's voice. Jealousy and something else… disappointment perhaps? Betrayal? Yes, that was it. She looked completely and utterly betrayed. What did she know about betrayal? But then he recalled how he felt every time he saw her hanging on the whelp's arm or laughing at something he said. Alright, so maybe she did feel betrayed. But she had no reason to feel threatened by Alyssa. His heart was closed to anyone but Elizabeth. She had brought it back to life, after all.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I was just… curious." She whispered cautiously, not wanting to upset him further.

What she couldn't decipher was whether or not he was upset at her or upset at the name that had been brought up. He looked so somber, so hollow that it almost reminded her of that one time when she… but she did not even want to think about that. Or anything that could possibly relate to that day with one exception… she would not mind being reminded with a kiss.

_Focus, Elizabeth. This is serious._

Jack's eyes flashed up to her sadly. "It's not that I don't want to tell ye, luv. It's that I'd hoped you'd never have to hear that name or find out her story. It's not a nice one." He sighed. "But there's no sense in keeping it a secret from you, since you're so inclined to find out more about me person. And… I'm sorry, too, luv."

She shook her head. "No, you couldn't possibly have anything to be sorry about. You're a good man, Jack, even if you don't like to show it sometimes. You had every right to react the way you did."

Damn it, Lizzie. Why was she being so nice to him? Every kind word that came out of her mouth only increased the amount of guilt he felt for that letter. He had to clear this up immediately.

"No, Lizbeth. I shouldn't have left the way I did and I sure as hell shouldn't have yelled at ye. I'm sorry. Now about that girl."

"Jack…" she trailed off, reaching out to touch his hand.

He shook his head decidedly. "No, luv. No secrets." He sat down across from her and took her hand in his. "Alyssa…" he paused, grimacing at the name. "She was from England, like you. Beckett's brother's wife but he was killed when his fleet engaged a pirate ship and so she took back her maiden name. It was just a few months before I resigned from the company." He tiredly closed his eyes and started rubbing small circles on her hands. It was difficult for him to talk about it.

"We can finish this in the morning, I'm sorry I ever…"

"Lizzie." He whispered, successfully getting her to be quiet. "Anyway, when I did resign, I ran into Alyssa in Tortuga. She said she was done with England and everything in it and wanted to become a pirate." Jack snorted at that and his eyes, once soothing, were now livid with repressed anger. "I actually believed her. Gave her a place on the crew and a place in my heart. Biggest mistake of my life, I'd wager, next to selling my soul to Davy Jones. I never even for one second thought that she might have been working for Beckett. But she was."

Jack looked into Elizabeth's eyes and frowned. "One night, we docked in Tortuga and I was out with Barbossa, another traitor, planning our next course. She was somewhere in town, I didn't even know where at the time." Elizabeth wanted to cry at the look on his face. He was devastated. She should have never brought this up, if only to keep him from looking so distraught. She had never seen him like this before. "The next day, I came to find she never came back to the inn. I went to the Pearl and saw her sitting on the docks staring at the back of a shop corner. That's where I found her."

Elizabeth took one quick breath and asked, "Who?"

"Me mum. Dead." He mouthed the last word, unable to say it out loud.

"Oh, Jack…"

He sighed. "I sailed with that pathetic excuse of a woman for months. Never did I think that she could have been capable of such cruelty. One day, I was in the galley and she walked in, not noticing me and she was talking to herself…" Jack remembered with all the clarity in the world that, in that moment, his heart broke. "Confessed her sin unknowingly and I kicked her off the ship. That was the end of that."

Tears escaped Elizabeth's eyes. So it was the woman whom he thought loved him that had taken away his mother? And then, suddenly it all made sense. Everything. Why he was the way he was. Because that girl had broken him, broken his spirit. He covered up his pain with wily banter and witty remarks but deep down, he was hurting. Deep down, he was just a broken man with a broken heart. That explained why he never let anyone in. Why he kept his heart so guarded. She sobbed quietly and Jack ran a soothing hand across her cheek.

"Don't cry, luv. It's alright."

"No, it's not. I'm just like her." She muffled into his chest, her hands holding the lapels of his shirt.

Jack's face fell. Elizabeth was the complete opposite of Alyssa. "Don't ye ever say that again, Lizzie. You are nothing like her."

She peeked up at him through her lashes. "Yes. I am. I betrayed you, just like she did. I killed you, just like she killed your mother. I'm just as bad as she is."

Jack couldn't take it anymore! This girl was driving him bloody crazy. Could she not see the treasure she was? How truly and utterly special she was? In general? To him? _Especially_ to him…?

He stood up and grabbed her by the wrists, backing her up against the wall. Despite the fact that she should have been afraid, she was not. All she could focus on was the loving, tender look on his face. She knew he would never hurt her. She had also never seen him look so serious.

"Lizbeth… What else can I do to show ye how much ye mean to me, hm? I've tried and tried and tried and ye still don't think you're worthy of anything." The tears stopped flowing on her face. Well, that's a start. "Luv… I forgave ye for that a long time ago. I'd forgive you if ye did it again. Hell, I'd forgive ye if you told me you were going to do it right _now_! But I will never forgive that conniving and deceiving woman. She was never sorry. She didn't care." He leaned in closer and inhaled her scent, propelling him to go further. "I wasn't exactly the best of people after I lost the Pearl. I was cold and cruel and uncaring. I-…"

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe that." She said quietly, absentmindedly playing with the buttons on her shirt.

Jack placed his hand on her mouth causing a shiver to run down her spine. Jack noticed; she noticed that Jack noticed; she blushed. "Now, darling… no interruptions." He slowly removed his hands, gingerly letting his fingers linger for a few more moments than he should have. "As I was saying, I wasn't a good person. Maybe deep down, like you say, I was but not on the outside. But then… one day, a few years ago, I met ye. And… here we are."

Elizabeth was silent for a few moments, trying to word what she wanted to say perfectly. "So where exactly are we, Jack?" She looked him the eye. "What is this?"

Jack smirked. "You want to know what this is?"

She nodded, smiling softly when his other hand crept up to rest on her hip. He leaned in and kissed her lips tenderly, waiting for her to respond before escalating it further. And as much as she didn't want to give in, she started kissing him back and all those other superfluous thoughts of right and wrong faded away. A groan of disapproval escaped her lips when Jack removed his.

His eyes stared at her, calculating. He looked so serious. But then a spark of mischievousness made its way into that delightful smirk of his. "I think ye know… you feel it too. It's a comfort, like…" he trailed off when he saw her go serious, as well.

"Like nothing you say or do will matter. Because all that matters is that you're here, together." Jack smiled inwardly. "But it's more than that. It's a…"

"A need. I need ye, Lizzie." He buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I love you."

A choked laugh broke out from her and she couldn't help but smile. Jack had just admitted to loving her.

"I love you, too." She said into his ear, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I love ye, Lizzie, me luv. I've always loved ye. From the moment you tried to save me from the navy, so brave and stubborn, I've loved ye." He kissed her again, gently. "Me pirate princess."

Elizabeth feigned shock. "That would be pirate king to you, Mr. Sparrow."

"Aye? And that'd be Captain Sparrow to ye, luv."

She grinned. "I know. Captain. Jack. Sparrow." She muttered between kisses.

"Glad to hear it, darling." He said as his mouth crashed against hers once more.

After a while, the night was taking its toll on the both of them and Elizabeth yawned accidentally.

"Tell me, Lizzie. Is kissing me really that tedious of a task, enough to make ye want to go to sleep?" he asked, feigning feeling offended.

She narrowed her eyes coyly. "Oh no, Captain Sparrow. It's just that your… expertise has worn me out."

"Have I told you I love ye?" he said as he carried her back to his… to _their_ quarters.

"Not enough." She mumbled, sleep overtaking her quickly.

He smiled. "Well, there should be plenty of time for that tomorrow, luv."

"And the next day, and the next day…"

"I do like the sound of that, dearie." He gently carried her to the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep, my Lizzie."

"You're not coming?"

A small grimace flashed across his face. "I'll be right back. Got to take care of some things."

"Alright." She snuggled in closer to the pillow. "Hurry, Jack." She whispered before she drifted off to sleep.

Jack stood there a few more moments, just watching the rise and fall of her chest. Finally. It had worked. Everything had worked out so perfectly. More perfectly than he ever thought it could. When he changed that letter, he had no idea that everything would fall into place so wonderfully. But it had. And the proof was right in front of him, a sight he had wanted to see for a very long time now.

Slowly, so as not to wake his angel up, he snuck out of the cabin and shut the door quietly making his way to the rum cellar. He needed to clear his head. While he was ecstatic with the progress he and Elizabeth had made, he hadn't counted on Alyssa making her return. Figuratively, that is. He hadn't thought about that blasted woman in a long while and it bothered him that she was making her way back into his thoughts. The circumstances with Elizabeth brought back other memories, too. Happier memories of the first woman to ever claim his heart.

_Jack was walking around the streets of Tortuga jollily, a new sense of freedom overcoming him. He hadn't been to the pirate port in years, not ever since he had joined the company. Now that he had resigned, he felt liberated from the restraints he was once held to. It was then that he realized how welcoming Tortuga could be. He recalled his favorite tavern, the Faithful Bride, and scurried to it in need of some serious celebration. The moment Jack walked inside, his eyes lit up as he saw a familiar face. Alyssa Beckett, born Wright, sitting at the bar. Her eyes were scanning the tavern and caught his eventually. The most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Just like the sea, he thought, engrossed in her beauty._

_He wondered, of course, why he had never noticed how beautiful she was. Oh. That's right. She was the widow of his former boss. He had no right to even look at her subjectively. But now, he could look at her all he wanted. He didn't even notice when she stood up and approached him, casually touching his arm in a greeting gesture._

_"Well, if it isn't John Teague. What brings you here?" she asked, her voice ringing in his ears._

_He cleared his throat. "I'm sure you heard about my resignation. I'm free to do what I want now. But what are you doing here, Mrs. Beckett?"_

_A strangle smile flickered across her face. "It's Wright, now. And I've left England for good. I'm tired of it, John. All those rules and such. I don't want to be a part of that anymore."_

_"It's Jack." She looked at him, confused. "Jack Sparrow, now."_

_"Why the change?"_

_"I think we all need a change, don't you, Miss Wright?" he asked, winking his eye at her._

_A ghost of regret flashed in her eyes but it was gone a moment later. "Yes."_

_"Do ye have a place to stay, then?" he asked, his tone hopeful._

_"No, actually. I came here on a whim a few weeks ago and I've been staying at an inn but I'm nearly out of money." She laughed nervously. "I don't know what I'm going to do."_

_"I do." He replied confidently._

_She arched a brow. "Is that so, Mr. Teague? Oh, pardon me. Mr. Sparrow?"_

_"It's Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow."_

_"That's a wonderful name. I'm sure you'll live up to it, Jack." Her hand returned to his arm and he felt a smile cross his face. Strange how this woman could make him feel things he had never felt before…_

_"Back to the matter at hand, Alyssa…" his voice trailed off at her name, lingering on it. "I do know what you're going to do."_

_"And what am I going to do?" she whispered, her lips so close to his. If only he would lean in, just a bit._

_"Well, I've got myself a ship, luv. And plenty of spare room."_

_She laughed, a tinkling sound as lovely as her rosy lips. "God, I can just see the look on Beckett's face were he to know I'm to become a pirate."_

_"I never mentioned piracy, as I recall." He teased, a smirk on his face._

_"It's not too difficult to guess. You left the company, you're a captain, you're in Tortuga…"_

_"What else do ye need, aye?"_

**One Month Later**

_"Jack? Are you in here?" Alyssa walked into the cabin, looking for her pirate. Where has he gone off to, now?_

_She sat down on his (their) bed and buried her face in her hands. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was never supposed to truly fall in love with him. It was a job, just like any other but it turned into so much more. Alyssa was in love with Jack Sparrow. How could she continue to deceive him in this way, feeding the navy all this information? And what they wanted her to do… kill his mother… that was just absurd. She would never be able to go through with it. I love him too much._

_But she didn't have a choice. If she didn't comply with what they wanted, they would kill Jack themselves. And his mother, regardless. She would do anything to keep that from happening. Jack didn't deserve to die and while neither did his mother, Jack was more important. He would not die because of her cowardliness. He would hate her but he would live. That was all that mattered._

* * *

Jack decided to stop thinking about that woman. She had already invaded his mind too many times for his liking. Enough to last him the rest of his life. He never wanted to hear of Alyssa Wright again.


End file.
